I walk for my grandma, my favorite person in the world. She passed away two years ago from heart failure, and the truth is, she shouldn’t be gone. She had so much life left to live, so many stories left to tell, and losing her left a space in my life that nothing else can fill.

Walking is my way of honoring her—her laugh, her warmth, the way she made every room feel lighter. It’s also my way of fighting back. I walk so fewer families have to feel this kind of loss, so more people get the time my grandma didn’t. Every step I take is for her, and for the hope that one day, heart disease won’t take anyone too soon.