Family! Health! Life!
It is hard to know what to say to inspire other people. I can only tell a little about what has inspired me. As most people know the Heart Walk and the American Heart Association has become very near and dear to my Heart (pun intended). I have participated through my work for a long time now, but starting 4 years ago it became much more real and very personal for me.
- Nine years ago in January 2016 we almost lost my step dad John Davis who had a widow maker heart attack and spent 45 days in the hospital, much of that in critical condition. It was touch and go for a long time, and they told us then that without the advancements in heart related care he would not be here.
- The next year my father in law Dennis Valley suffered a heart attack as well, in February 2017 and then underwent a triple bypass. While we were able to get extra time with him, we ultimately ended up losing him in May of 2017.
- And then the following year in January 2018 we almost lost my mom Mary Davis who has CHF and had too much fluid built up around her heart, she coded and was in critical condition for a week but they were able to bring her back out of it and she is still here with us today.
To say the least there have had a few tough years in our family, and at the root of it all is the heart. The portions I share with you here don't really convey everything that was behind what happened in those times. They tell a few sentences to convey a fraction of what happened, the feelings, the emotions, and the details that go with them. But what is most important for me to convey is this:
I walk for them all Dennis Valley, John Davis, and Mary Davis.
I walk for me, for the family I still have here
And I walk for everyone else that will need the life saving support the American Heart Association is working on today and will continue to work on tomorrow.
For me, supporting the American Heart Association has become more than a cause, it is something that touches close to home. In the last 5 years the American Heart Association has made advances in technology that help people who previously would not have survived stay here with their families. In both of the cases for my family we were told that the chances of survival for our loved ones were not very good, and yet thanks to advances in technology they are still with us today or we were able to get extra time with them that we wouldn't have had otherwise. For me supporting this cause is personal, the money raised to help the American Heart Association is used to advance their understanding and technology so that our loved ones have a chance where they wouldn't have before, and for that reason I support them, and to anyone that helps in this journey I give my true heartfelt thanks to them as well.
There is more than one way to show your support
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You can donate which is always appreciated, but you can also sign up and join me in the walk and by raising funds yourself for the American Heart Association this year
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Thank you in advance for your support!