I'm not just walking. I'm Heartwalking. My participation in Heart Walk promotes fun ways to be physically active and make healthier choices every day. But it's also a personal reason. Here is why I walk:
* For my dad: Ali. I'll never forget being 18 and waking up to lights flashing and seeing the paramedics working on my dad in the middle of the night. He was so pale and hanging on to life as he was suffering a major heart attack. I remember riding in the ambulance with him and arriving at the hospital and the intake staff asking me, "dear, are you 18 or older?" I was so proud I had just turned 18 and hit this milestone but I had no idea the responsibility and significance of what the hospital staff was asking me at that moment. When I told her I was 18 she handed me a ton of paperwork - and asked me if my dad had a DNR. I didn't even know what this meant at the moment - I do now, and I was so unprepared emotionally to even consider that he may not make it. So many things flashed in my head and in slow motion I was thinking about how I was soon to graduate high school, go off to college and of course one day I imagined my dad walking me down the aisle and helping raise his grandkids. As I flashed forward to so many life moments I could not fathom or begin to even imagine life without him. I took my dad for granted before his heart attack - like most kids/teenagers I was coming and going and often did not engage with him nor say thank you nearly enough - in fact, earlier that day we were fighting a bit and I recall his arm was hurting him, he was very sweaty and just was not acting like himself. Now looking back he was having early signs and neither of us knew. I vowed to God that day in the ER to please let him survive and I would appreciate every moment with my dad. He survived that Heart Attack and I remember from that moment forward I never took him for granted, always told him how much I loved him and we made every moment together count. I'm so glad we did because he was 53 when he had his first Heart Attack and little did I know that I would only have 5 years left with him from that day. So I walk in memory of my dad and for prevention because I know we have heart issues in our family and I want to ensure I live a long and healthy life! I also walk for my dad so that other daughters are educated on the symptoms of heart attacks and can act quickly to ensure their dads are around for previous moments too. I also walk so more people will know the lifesaving efforts of CPR and how it can help save a loved one.
* I walk for my BIL-brother-in-law: Cesear Reyes. I hate saying BIL because he truly is my brother! He is a special force in my life who I've know since I was 9 years old- yes he and my sister are high-school sweethearts. He sometimes gives me a hard time- well mostly all the time because he is quite the jokester and truly picks on me like a kid sister. After losing my dad, Cesear is who I asked to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day and I'm so grateful to him for that day and for always being an important person in my life. So imagine when we found out this tough ex-marine had something called a mini-stroke!?! He had some minor vision problems that morning and it turned out it was much more. I and others were shocked because I typically thought strokes impacted only older generations. It was a wake-up call and reminder about how precious life is once again. He is good today but I walk for him and for research around brain health along with education so we know how to spot a stroke FAST! Learn more about what FAST means [https://www.strokeassociation.org/en/about-stroke/stroke-symptoms]and how you too can save a life.
* I walk for myself, for my son Asher and for my family! As a busy mom, I often put everyone and everything first. I know we have a history of heart disease in my family and I also know that heart disease claims the life of a woman every 80 seconds! So this matters to me and it should matter to you if you have a woman you love in your life. I want to be here to live a long and healthy life with my family and friends, to see my son grow up and to celebrate important milestones. So I walk for me and for every woman I know and love!
A woman you know and love may be affected by cardiovascular diseases -- at any age. It is the No. 1 killer of women -- claiming the lives of one in three women.
Please help me reach this lifesaving goal by donating today. Together, we can make healthier, longer lives possible for everyone. Join me in supporting the American Heart Association!
My dad used to always say American sayings incorrectly and one that always makes me giggle the most is when one day he meant to say thank you from the bottom of his heart and instead, he very sincerely said, "Thank you from the heart of my bottom!" I hope you get the good giggles from that as I did that day and still today. Seriously, thank you in advance for your support...from both the bottom of my heart and the heart of my bottom!
Donate today and feel free to register and join me at the Dallas Heart Walk on Saturday, September 24th. Let's all get out and walk with our family, friends, dogs and encourage the neighbors too for a community and world of healthier lives!
