Why I Walk

I was only 14 years old when my world changed forever.

My mother, Susan, was just 42 when she suffered a massive heart attack. One moment she was here—my safety, my comfort, my home—and the next, she was gone. There was no warning, no time to prepare, no chance to say goodbye in the way a daughter should.

My Mother was the kind of person who gave endlessly. She was selfless in a way that’s rare—always putting others before herself, always showing up, always making sure the people she loved felt cared for. She had a beautiful soul and the biggest heart—ironically, the very thing that made her so special is what I lost far too soon.

At 14, you’re still a child. You still need your mom for everything—for guidance, for reassurance, for the kind of love that only she can give. Growing up without her has been a quiet, constant ache. It’s in every milestone she missed, every moment I wished I could call her, every piece of life I had to learn to navigate without her.

Heart disease didn’t just take her life—it took years we should have had together. It took laughter, memories, and a future that was supposed to include her.

That’s why I walk.

I walk carrying her love with me in every step.
I walk for the 14-year-old girl who didn’t understand why her mom left by ambulance and never returned home. 
I walk to honor a woman who gave so much of herself to others—and deserved so much more time.

And I walk with hope. Hope that through awareness, research, and prevention, fewer families will have to feel this kind of loss. Fewer daughters will have to grow up without their mothers.

This is more than a walk to me.
It’s for my mother, her life, her love, and the heart that made her unforgettable.