Help me be a Heart Walk Hero!
It is very strange to look at the banner on my fundraising page and see, “I’m a survivor!” Until the summer of 2018, I was zipping along, signed up for Ironmans number 10 and 11 and never gave my heart a second thought. I’m healthy, right? I can run, swim, and bike all I want.
But then I had a physical and the doctor didn’t like the sound of my heart. Just a couple months later, I was having heart surgery to repair a faulty mitral valve. I guess that makes me a survivor.
I'm finally feeling like my old self after a little over three years, including some other health issues. My fitness still isn't what it used to be prior to the valve problem but I am seeing progres. It's charities such as the American Heart Assocation that makes breakthroughs possible as well as the support they provide to those in need.
I never participated in one of these walks because I thought it was beneath me. What does a multi-time Ironman care about a short stroll? I run marathons after swimming 2.4 miles and cycling 112 miles! But when that is taken away, even after a positive surgical outcome, you realize the value of things like the American Heart Association.
So please consider donating. No amount is too small. Even $1 is enough.
