By Kelly Taylor, WKTV
Did you know: 3.5 million people in the U.S. have HEP C. About half don’t even know they have it. Baby Boomers are five times more likely to have HEP C than any other age group. HEP C is not part of a routine blood test. People may have the disease with no symptoms.
WKTV is joining the Jimmie Van Zant HEP C Awareness Initiative and the “Get Tested, Get Cured” Project. The new music video Your Song which promotes HEP C awareness will premiere on WKTV on Tuesday, October 3 @ 7:25pm.
The Van Zant name is one of the most instantly recognizable and respected in all of rock music — a long line of musicians who have left their mark on popular music for the past several decades, including original Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie, modern day Skynyrd singer Johnny, .38 Special singer/guitarist Donnie, and solo artist Jimmie.
Jimmie built up a large and loyal following during the ’90s and early 21st century on the strength of such albums as The Jimmie Van Zant Band (1996), Southern Comfort (2000), and Feels Like Freedom (2012); he also performed over 200 shows per year. Sadly, the southern rock veteran succumbed to liver cancer in 2016, brought on by Hepatitis C, which Jimmie did not know he had until it was too late. But thanks to his friend/band mate, Gary Dvorkin, Jimmie’s tragic passing will soon make a difference in raising money for the American Cancer Society, and also creating awareness concerning Hepatitis C.
As Dvorkin explained, “It is our hope that by doing this, we honor Jimmie and perhaps do our small part in bringing about a better mode of treatment for those stricken by this horrible illness, so that they might have a better chance of survival than Jimmie did.”
The song is downloadable from iTunes, Google Play or Amazon. One hundred percent of all funds and profits from song sales will flow directly to PreventCancer.org.
