Why I am running Chicago for the American Heart Association:
First and foremost, I am running Chicago for my own recovery. This will be my first marathon back after my heart surgery. On February 15, 2022, I underwent a minimally invasive Mitral Valve Repair surgery at VCU to correct my mitral valve prolapse.
My prolapse was congenital but not caught until 2019, when I was complaining of fatigue to my primary care provider. The short version of the next three years is that my valve continued to deteriorate, and running continued to get harder for me. During this time, I still managed to run a marathon, 30 miles on my 30th, and plenty of half marathons. It wasn't until I switched cardiologists in late 2021 that the full extent of my prolapse became apparent, and it was decided that I would need surgery. So, the day after Valentine's Day, February 15, 2022, I got my own repaired heart.
Recovery has been tough with plenty of ups and downs (I'm looking at you, ocular migraines), but I am finally ready to go back to the full distance of a marathon - and my heart is doing great!
Secondly, I am running for my fiance's repaired heart. While I was dealing with my structural heart issues, my fiance and running partner, Brad, was dealing with his own electrical heart issues. He was increasingly experiencing atrial fibrillation (a-fib) and had two ablations, which thankfully fixed the issue. We collectively had three heart surgeries over a 7-month period, both at the age of 31.
Finally, and very importantly, I will be running in loving memory of my grandfather, Doug Kerns, who had heart disease and passed in December 2020. I inherited my congenital condition from him and I wish we could've bonded over cardiac rehab stories.
Thank you for supporting my journey back to 26.2!
Why donate to the American Heart Association
I am proud to be running for an organization that funds research that has greatly impacted my quality of life.
The American Heart Association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer worldwide, and stroke ranks second globally. Even when those conditions don't result in death, they cause disability and diminish quality of life. The AHA wants to see a world free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The AHA has invested more than $5 billion in research, making it the largest not-for-profit funding source for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease research.
