As many of you know, heart disease has profoundly impacted my life, from an early age.
On March 9, 1985, just shy of my fourth birthday, my father (who was 28) suffered a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. He would never recover. To our knowledge, he had never presented any symptoms of heart disease. In later years, several of his siblings would also succumb or suffer from similar heart events, and I have a PVC arrhythmia. To say this cause is deeply personal would be an incredible understatement.
I began my running and fitness journey more than a decade ago, running my first full marathon at age 28, as a tribute to my father, and to raise awareness. In the years since, I've supported a number of causes through these annual endurance endeavors aimed at extending and improving the lives of others.
As a living kidney donor, I've spent much of the last four years focused on a different organ, but in 2023, I'm running with (and for) heart! Heart disease impacts nearly everyone, with a heart attack or stroke happening every forty seconds. Let's change that, together.
