Family & Friends,
This year’s American Heart Walk has come up on us more quickly than we were expecting! It prompts us to reflect on another year with our family and celebrate many positive events.
Updates for our family include: Charlie continues his work meeting with landowners to discuss renewable energy projects in various parts of the state, on occasion even venturing outside of Wisconsin. Kirsten graduated with her master’s degree in May; she is continuing to teach at Beaver Dam High School in the Special Education department, and she is the JV volleyball coach and adaptive track coach at BDHS as well. Danielle has decided not to continue her college education. Instead, she has been hired as a Teacher Assistant at Jefferson Elementary in Beaver Dam, and she is excited to start this new chapter! Amelia graduated from Beaver Dam High School in May, and she is moving to UW-La Crosse on Wednesday, August 30. Big changes in her life as well! David and Shelley enjoy watching each of the kids take various steps forward while making “grown-up” decisions in their adult lives. Speaking of “grown-ups”, our family had the honor of celebrating Shelley’s parents’ 80th birthdays in November. We are grateful to have had the chance to share that day with so many of you!
Amelia had a visit with her cardiologist in June. This was a great visit for Amelia to learn more about her specific heart condition and what it may mean for her future. Her doctor explained that Amelia has an “anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left coronary cusp”. Fortunately, because she has no concerning symptoms, and she had a normal stress echocardiogram, the doctor has directed her to focus on a heart healthy lifestyle and come back in four years! One thing he also emphasized is that Amelia’s condition is very similar to another condition that can be much more alarming, so he helped her to be aware of the differences to try and avoid any unnecessary concern.
That type of good news at Amelia’s visit, as well as a calm, uneventful year with Danielle’s heart health, are both reminders of how important for us to continue working to raise money for research through the American Heart Walk! With that in mind, we are participating in the Madison Area Heart Walk on Saturday September 16, working again with the UW-Health Congenital Heart Warriors Team. This will be our 21st year of the Heart Walk – and YES, that means Danielle will be turning 21 years old before long!
In 2022, our 20th year of walking, our friends and family came together to blow our minds by donating $5908.20, bringing our 20-year total to $57,799.11 – THANK YOU!! Based on that accomplishment, and the generosity of all of you, we have set this year’s goal at $6000! We know this is a lofty goal, but we have been so blessed with all of your support in the past, and the need for research continues to grow. Please consider helping us to reach this goal! If you plan to donate – please know that any amount is appreciated. As always, we continue to believe - together we WILL make a difference!
David, Shelley, Charlie, Kirsten, Danielle, and Amelia