Let me start with some of the things I taught as an AHA military instructor aboard USS Nimitz (2007 - 2010.) 

1. The life your training may save could be your own.

2. I want a fighting chance if something should go wrong while I am working on electrical equipment. People trained in CPR is the answer for getting that chance.

Just this last April, I expericed two widowmaker heart attacks (STEMI) caused by variant angina, The stabbing pain in chest was persistant. I had my wife bring me to the ER. I was taken right back and placed on an EKG. The Dr picked up the chart, showed it to me, and said that I was having a heart attack. I coded right then. I revived after a full cycle of CPR and defibrillation. I was then taken to a Cath-Lab and stented. The second was a repeat without coding.

My training allowed me to recognize the symproms and get help. I got my fighting chance.  

Join us. Learn CPR. Contribute some spare change.

For me, Heartwalk is a milestone on the road to recovery and eventual recertification to teach again.

Below is the text supplied by th AHA.

In a heartbeat, you could be the difference.

9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital don’t survive. Most of the time, it’s because no one nearby performed CPR. But together, we can change that.

Extraordinary things happen when people take action. A small step. A simple skill. A lifesaving moment. Heart Walk brings communities together to create health and hope for every heartbeat. Every walker who joins, every dollar donated, means more people trained in CPR, more research and more lifesaving moments for everyone.  

Extraordinary starts with YOU. Help me reach my goal today!