MINNEAPOLIS -- Hall of Famer Rod Carew gave an emotional interview on stage at TwinsFest in front of hundreds of Twins fans Saturday morning, encouraging people to have their hearts checked after he suffered a major heart attack Sept. 20.
Carew traveled from his home in Southern California to help announce a major initiative with the Twins, who created a yearlong partnership with the American Heart Association called "The Heart of 29" campaign to raise funds and awareness. Carew, who has to wear a left ventricular assist device until he undergoes a heart transplant, said the first thing he told his wife, Rhonda, after his heart attack was that he felt it was his mission to help raise awareness so the same thing wouldn't happen to others.