Television host Larry King visited Irvine heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences Corp. Thursday to help the company kick off a fundraising campaign aimed at providing heart healthcare for local residents in need.
King, whose “Larry King Live” has been a staple of CNN since 1987, toured Edwards’ plant with Gloria Briones, a Monterey Park woman who received an Edwards bovine tissue-based replacement heart valve in December, thanks to a partnership between Edwards and King’s Larry King Cardiac Foundation.
King established his foundation in 1988, a year after he had quintuple bypass surgery. The foundation raises funds to pay for heart care for people who either don’t have the money or don’t have adequate health insurance coverage. Edwards has contributed some $250,000 to it.
King, who was wearing pinstriped pants that flared out, along with his trademark glasses and a blue shirt, later shared the stage with Michael Mussallem, Edwards’ chief executive, where he spoke briefly.
“On a very small scale, I started the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. The mission was to help people,” King said.
The foundation isn’t a research organization.
“We’re just to help find people, who weren’t insured, have some doctors to check it out and do procedures,” he said.
In addition, Shawn Southwick-King, the talk show host’s wife, and son Larry King Jr., who is the foundation’s president, spoke about the organization and its mission.
Edwards’ fundraising campaign runs through Valentine’s Day.
