Despite the threat of rain, SRP Park was filled Saturday morning as over 2,500 community members came out for the 2023 CSRA Heart Walk.
“We are so excited to have everyone out today,” said Ansley Howse, the executive director for the American Heart Association. “The community has really come together to support the CSRA Heart Walk as we drive awareness for heart disease and stroke, but also raise those vital funds to further our mission here in the CSRA.”
There were 153 registered teams for the Heart Walk, and Howze said it was a full house with lots of people walking either the 5k or miracle mile route.
One of those walkers was David Hodges who was walking with his family in honor of his 11-year-old son, who he calls a “heart warrior.”
“Probably what I enjoy most is it’s kind of an opportunity to have a day to celebrate my son’s uniqueness, because sometimes it can be an off-setting thing, like he can be embarrassed about the fact that he can’t run as fast as everybody else or run as long as everyone else,” Hodges said. “But at an event like this, we kind of celebrate him for who he is, and the difference is what makes you great. It’s not something to be embarrassed about. That’s my favorite part. That and we always have a lot of other family friends that show up and we just rally around him.”
Denise Hewlett was walking with the neuro team with Augusta University and has for the past several years.
“I’ve had several people in our family have heart attacks and strokes, so I’ve come to support the heart walk,” Hewlett said about why she walks.
Brandon Griffin was walking with Rural Health Services. He said he wanted to walk because his girlfriend had lost a family member to heart complications, and he has family members who have heart issues.
Prior to the start of the walk, Juliet Maddox was recognized as the 2023 Heart Walk Hero. Maddox was born with atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), which according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, is a heart defect involving the valves between the upper and lower chambers of the heart and the walls between the chambers.
As of the morning of Saturday, March 25, $480,878.41 had been raised out of a goal of $685,000, according to the CSRA Heart Walk website.
