In a heartbeat, you could be the difference.

❤️ Some of the happiest moments of my life have also been some of the most bittersweet.

Watching my children grow up. Celebrating their graduations. Getting married. Building a career I'm incredibly proud of. All of those moments that make you stop and think about how beautiful life really is.

And in so many of those moments, there's been one little thought in the back of my mind.

I wish my mom and dad were here to see this.

I often wonder what they would think of the woman I've become. What kind of grandparents they would have been. How much they would have loved watching my children grow up. Whether they'd be sitting in the audience at graduation, cheering louder than anyone else.

I think about the phone calls we never got to have, the holidays we never got to celebrate, and the ordinary moments that would have meant everything.

My dad passed away from a heart attack when I was just 24 years old. Three years later, at 27, I lost my mom to a heart attack, too.

They were only 57 and 54.

At the time, I couldn't possibly understand just how many moments of my life they would miss. I only knew how much I missed them.

As the years have passed, I've realized that one of the hardest parts of losing your parents young isn't just missing who they were.

It's missing who they would have been in the life you're living today.

They never got to know the adult version of me. They never got to see the family I've raised or the life I've worked so hard to build.

And my children missed out on a lifetime of memories with two people who would have loved them endlessly.

Today, I have the privilege of serving as the Director of Cardiovascular Services at Riverside Health, working alongside an incredible group of people who dedicate their lives to caring for hearts.

And I can't help but think how personal that is.

The very disease that changed my family forever is the disease I now get to help fight every single day.

I see the incredible advances in cardiovascular care. I see the dedication of our physicians and care teams. I see patients getting second chances and families getting more time together.

And every time I think about what that means, I think about my parents.

Because at the end of the day, that's what we're really fighting for.

Time.

Time for another dad to walk his daughter down the aisle.

Time for another mom to help her daughter navigate motherhood.

Time for grandparents to watch their grandchildren grow.

Time for families to make memories they don't even realize they'll treasure someday.

I'll be participating in the American Heart Association Heart Walk, and this cause will always hold a special place in my heart.

I walk in memory of my parents, but I also walk in celebration of every family who gets another birthday, another holiday, another milestone, and another ordinary day together because of advances in heart health.

If you know me, you know I don't do much halfway, especially when something matters this much to me. ❤️

So I'm asking you to join me. Walk with us, make a donation, share this post, or simply take a moment to learn more about your own heart health.

Because the greatest gift we can give the people we love isn't something we can wrap in a box. It's more time together.

And if I can help another daughter have just one more day with her dad, or one more phone call with her mom, then every step I take is worth it.

❤️ I walk for the two hearts I miss every day, and for all the hearts we still have a chance to protect.

❤️ Will you join me? Will you consider making a donation to help give another family the gift of more time? More birthdays, more graduations, more hugs, more memories, and more of those ordinary moments that become the most precious ones of all. Together, we can help give other families the chance to make the memories mine never got to. ❤️

#HeartWalk #AmericanHeartAssociation #RiversideHealth #HeartHealth