Many people around the country experience it but may not talk about it. Now a Pennsylvania woman is breaking the stigma about loneliness.<\/p>\n
Lucy Rose wants people to make connections in their lives that matter. <\/p>\n
She founded the group Cost of Loneliness Project<\/a>. <\/p>\n Lucy\u2019s walking across the county listening to people\u2019s stories and putting a face on the loneliness epidemic. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat we found were people who were quite lonely and very sad and very broken over being lonely,\u201d said Rose.<\/p>\n Doctors confirm the loneliness epidemic is growing. <\/p>\n One survey found 42% of men and 37% of women considered themselves lonely.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are reporting fewer friends and less involvement in groups and things of that nature,\u201d said Heather Nawrocki of AARP.<\/p>\n The CDC has found loneliness has serious and wide-ranging impacts on physical and mental health. The risks are comparable to someone smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.<\/p>\n \u201cLoneliness is not about how many people are around you. What we\u2019re really looking at is the chronic loneliness, that kind of aches in your heart and chest, and you feel like you don\u2019t belong anywhere,\u201d said Rose, who works as a physician\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n Rose has started a 51-day journey from Santa Monica, California. Her trek will lead her through 17 states, through Philadelphia\u2019s Schuylkill River Park and end in New York on November 12.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of our walk, we\u2019re going to have a National Day of Connection,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n Rose is already turning strangers into friends, one step at a time along her walk. <\/p>\n To mark the end of her journey, Rose is asking people to make a gesture of support to someone at noon on November 12. She suggests spending 12 or more minutes with someone you care about.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n