Help me be a Heart Walk Hero!
I walk for Katie Mac.
My cousin Katie passed away last year at the age of 25 after shocks from her emergency defibrillator and heroic efforts made by one of her friends and even nearby strangers could not stop her body from going into cardiac arrest. Her life was saved by quick decisions and interventions carried out by some of the highest quality health care professionals I've ever met, and we were blessed with 150 more days. While those days in the Cardiovascular ICU were some of the most difficult of my life, I count every single one of them as a gift.
Katie was without a doubt one of the best people I've ever known, and I honestly believe she changed the lives of everyone she met. She worked at Disney in their college program and spent every day making people's lives just a little more magical, before becoming one of the best team members at Loew's Sapphrie Falls Resort. In fact, the team she worked with even walked for her last year!
Katie grew up in a military family, which meant being "the new girl at school" quite a few times in her life. A lot of people could become isolated or feel sorry for themselves after that experience, but not Katie. She took it as an opportunity to make new friends, and she walked away with an uncanny ability to find anyone who didn't feel like they fit in, and made it her mission to change that. She could make a friend out of anyone, and she could put a smile on your face any day, especially with a batch of her famous homemade chocolate chip cookies! Even after her battle with heart failure began, with her symptoms making everyday life more difficult, she continued to make other people's happiness her number one priority. She was one of my truest friends, and to this day, holds some of my deepest secrets, because that was just the kind of person she was.
I walk for Katie. I walk so maybe somewhere she knows ho much she still means to us every day. I walk to continue her legacy of helping others. I walk to give other families the same gift I was given: more time with the ones they carry closest to their hearts. Please join me in the fight against heart disease, and make this possible!
