Meet the woman whose mission is to beat loneliness, 1 step at a time

PHILADELPHIA — A new mission to combat loneliness includes a journey that stretches from coast to coast.

"We're walking across a country to listen to people's stories, to put a face to this epidemic of loneliness," Cost of Loneliness Project founder Lucy Rose said.

Rose is walking across the country in an effort to bring people together and make connections that matter.

"What we found, people were quite lonely and very sad and very broken over being lonely," Rose said.

Doctors said the loneliness epidemic is growing. One survey found 42% of men and 37% of women are lonely.

"People are reporting fewer friends and less involvement in groups and things of that nature," Heather Nawrocki with AARP said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said loneliness has serious, wide-ranging impacts on both physical and mental health, with risks comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

"Loneliness is not about how many people are around you," Rose said. "What we're really looking at is the chronic loneliness, that kind of aches in your heart and chest, and you feel like you don't belong anywhere."

Rose is on a 51-day journey from Santa Monica, California, that's taking her through 17 states. She was in Philadelphia on Wednesday at the Schuylkill River Park. The journey ends in New York City on Nov. 12.

"At the end of our walk we're going to have a National Day of Connection," Rose said, "and we're asking everybody in the country at noon their time, whenever that may be, to spend at least 12 minutes with someone they care about."

Rose wants people to learn, like she did, ways to make meaningful connections. For this 72-year-old, the cross-country walk part of her mission is clocking about 40,000 steps a day, covering 12 to 15 miles a day, and turning strangers into friends, one step at a time.

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