I would like to thank all who have supported me in past years! I am writing to ask again for your support of this very personal mission, The American Heart Association and the Greater Maryland Heart Walk.
This year I am dedicating the Heart Walk to two people:
Bonnie O’Regan, my good friend and fellow America Band super fan,. Bonnie recently had open heart surgery to repair a faulty valve. The only person I know to schedule major surgery around missing as few concerts as possible! She is now doing better than ever due to medical advances supported by the American Heart Association.
Greg Orcutt, a longtime friend, colleague and kindred spirit. Greg passed suddenly of a heart attack this past year. He sold his accounting practice just a few years ago and was working on the next phase of his giving life which included The Greg Orcutt Charitable Giving Fund which supports small businesses, individuals in need and countless others. For me and others Greg was always the voice of wisdom and reason.
Heart disease has been ever present in my family. I first became involved with AHA shortly after my Dad’s first heart attack in 1993. He had other heart issues over the years and eventually passed of a heart attack in 2012. My Dad has been a major part of my Why for the past 30 years of my AHA volunteer service. My Mom at age 90 recently had open heart surgery to replace a valve. Three years ago, my brother Jim had a heart event and bypass surgery. He got through the heart surgery fine but recently passed from ALS complications. My cousin, Margie, passed of a sudden heart condition just a year ago. My son Mark has a mild heart condition, and I do as well. If you have high cholesterol and or family history of heart disease please talk to your Doctor about getting a Calcium Scoring test and Lipoprotein (a) blood test. The Calcium Scoring Test likely saved me from a major heart event.