I'm baaa-aaack! ... doing the AHA Heart Walk for my 13th year.  As always, if you ask me "why" I do this walk, I will answer:

Because I can.

If you don't know my story ... I am the recipient of a (surprise!) heart transplant performed at the UCLA Medical Center in November of 2011.  That is a sentence I never expected to say, and yet, there it is.  I will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of my transplant later this year. 

Back in 2011, my heart randomly stopped beating due to a very rare condition called Giant Cell Myocarditis. Thanks to developments of modern medicine, after a few very uncomfortable months in the hospital, a transplant was performed and my life was saved.  So you see, research into cardiac events and treatments has a very personal meaning for me.

There was a time when I could not walk from my bed to a chair, so the fact that I am able to walk 5K still astounds me.  I am very proud to be walking with the team for the UCLA Cardiac Rehabilitation program, since they were so instrumental in my recovery. 

I hope you will support my fundraising for the American Heart Association by making a donation of any size.  Thank you!