In a heartbeat, you could be the difference.

9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital don’t survive. Most of the time, it’s because no one nearby performed CPR. But together, we can change that.

I know how close that number can get.

I’ve lived with SVT for years, with my first surgery starting at 21 and I'm now 35. Multiple ablations. Then one day my heart went into third-degree heart block — it was literally stopping. I needed a pacemaker immediately or I would have died. More ablations followed. Eventually an AV-node ablation. Now I’m in heart failure, and this Friday I go in for heart surgery number 15: a Bi-V pacemaker upgrade that we hope will reverse the heart failure and give my heart a real chance to recover.

Every single one of those procedures, every hospital stay, every moment my heart threatened to quit, has shown me how fragile — and how precious — every heartbeat is. Research, better devices, CPR training, and the people who show up make the difference between life and death. That’s exactly what the American Heart Association fights for every day.

Extraordinary things happen when people take action. A small step. A simple skill. A lifesaving moment. Heart Walk brings communities together to create health and hope for every heartbeat. Every walker who joins, every dollar donated, means more people trained in CPR, more research, and more lifesaving moments for everyone.

Extraordinary starts with YOU.

This Friday I’m heading into surgery #15. I’m walking (and fundraising) for everyone whose heart is fighting, for the families waiting in those waiting rooms, and for the day when fewer people have to face what I’ve faced.

Help me reach my goal today.