In a heartbeat, you could be the difference.

This cause is deeply personal to me.

When my daughter, Gabi, was just 4 years old, she suffered a pediatric stroke. Today, she is a stroke survivor—and her journey has taught our family that stroke doesn’t just happen to adults. Pediatric stroke can change a child’s life and an entire family’s life in an instant.

As a pediatric trauma nurse, I see that reality from another perspective. I work in a pediatric hospital caring for children and families during some of the most frightening moments of their lives, including pediatric cardiac arrest, stroke, and other life-threatening emergencies. I’ve witnessed how critical those first moments can be—and how research, education, CPR training, and early intervention can change outcomes.

I’m walking in honor of Gabi, for every pediatric stroke survivor, and for the children and families I have the privilege of caring for.

Every step. Every dollar. Every person trained in CPR. Every research breakthrough.

It all matters.

Please help me support the American Heart Association and its mission to create healthier lives, advance lifesaving research, and give people the knowledge and tools to act when every second counts.

For Gabi. For our patients. For stroke survivors. For every heartbeat.

Extraordinary starts with you.