This Heart Walk is meaningful to me because I was born with a heart murmur caused by an atrial septal defect that required surgery at the age of two. Currently, I have an amplatzer device that closes the hole in my heart and allows me to live a normal life. Additionally, in middle school I was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) that also required an ablasion. I found this out when I was playing volleyball and my heart started beating at 256 bpm. During that season in my life, I was constantly hooked up to heart monitors and even had a portable heart monitor in case I had an episode. My amazing doctors were able to perform a minimally invasive surgery to locate the current in my heart causing the high heart rate and ablate it. Now, I have a healthy heart and am blessed to be able to live a normal, happy life.
The AHA does research around my heart conditions and many others. There have been several medical advancements that have improved the different procedures and recovery because of the AHA.
Additionally, 9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital die. In most of those cases, bystander CPR was not performed. But we can change this. ?
Cardiac arrests happen at work, in homes, on athletic fields and in neighborhoods everywhere, and the readiness of our community can be the difference between life and death. ?
It's time to unite, take action, and save lives. Every dollar donated, means more people trained in lifesaving CPR, more research and more lifesaving moments for everyone. Together, we can turn bystanders into lifesavers.?
I Walk to Save Lives. Help me reach my goal today.?
