aturday November 3 was a beautiful
breezy day, perfect for a walk on the
Mall. So I, along with Tracey Neal of
WUSA 9, and 6,000 other walkers, hit
the trail for 2.9 miles as participants in the 13th
annual Start! Heart Walk. Along the way, we raised
$1.2 million for the American Heart Association.
Heart disease is an issue that affects me
every day, and has for a long time. My wife
Susan’s brother died at the tender age of 14
from cardiomyopathy. Her father succumbed
to it when he was 63. Cardiomyopathy is
a weakening of the heart muscle and an
enlargement of the heart that usually leads to
congestive heart failure. It’s a congenital disease,
so it’s passed on from one generation to the
next. Susan has it, and so does our daughter
Sarah. To protect their hearts against arrhythmia
(when the heart races), they have both been
implanted with defi brillators, designed to shock
their hearts if arrhythmia occurs. And while a
defi brillator offers a measure of security, it can’t
dispel the concern of a husband or a father for
his loved ones.
Two years ago, Susan’s younger sister had
a heart transplant at Johns Hopkins. It was
successful, and a great relief to our family,
both on account of my sister-in-law’s health,
but also because unless science comes up
with a way to shrink the human heart, my
daughter Sarah is a likely candidate for a heart
transplant, too. She is 25 and healthy, and you
would never know from meeting her that she
might need a new heart.
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I participated in the Start! Heart Walk this
year for Susan, and Sarah, and the 870,000
Americans who die of heart disease every
year – the number one cause of death in this
country. The American Heart Association
is leading the fi ght against coronary disease
through research, education, and community
service programs, and I was proud to be one
of the thousands of walkers, volunteers, and
supporters who made this event possible.
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I also feel the need to thank everyone at
SunTrust Bank for their enthusiasm and efforts
during the past year as part of the Start! Fit-
Friendly Company program, that SunTrust
enacted with the help of the AHA. SunTrust’s
involvement in the communities we serve
has always been an important part of our
relationships, and I was very proud of all those
who helped to raise over $100,000 to support
heart disease and stroke research. Together we
can make enormous strides in combating heart
disease, and the Start! Heart Walk was a great
step in the right direction.
For more information on the Start! Heart Walk,
visit www.americanheart.org |
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