Working for the American Heart Association, I have been asked many times, "What's your why?" I have two... My son and my dad.
My little man was born with an Atrial Septal Defect, which is a small hole in his heart that allows blood to pump to the wrong chamber. Fortunately, we have wonderful pediatric cardiologists in our area that have assured us the hole is very small. If he keeps up with his annual monitoring, he should live a very normal, healthy life.
My dad's story was not so fortunate. Living 2.5 hours away, I learned everything via phone...
"Hey sweetie, it's dad. I had a physical recently, and they saw something on my EKG that looks like I might have had a heart attack. I'm being scheduled with a cardiologist within the next couple of weeks. Probably nothing to worry about."
"Court, they want me to have a stress test. The cardiologist is concerned, but I feel like it's probably going to come back fine."
"Hi sweetheart, I was admitted to the hospital. My test results weren't good, and they won't let me leave because it's an emergency situation. I'm going to have open heart surgery as soon as they can fit me in."
"It's mom. Dad is in surgery, but it's worse than they thought. His widow-maker was almost completely blocked, and they're doing additional bypass to clear things up. They're confident he will recover, but it will take a lot of physical therapy and recovery time."
Years of research grants, education, and advocacy by the American Heart Association have allowed my family to recover and live healthy lives. They are my "why."
Help me support the amazing lifesaving work and mission of the AHA by donating to my Corridor Heart Walk team. Your dollars are put to work in incredible ways!