For the past six years, I have had the honor of serving on the Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association’s annual Celebrate with Heart gala. Over the past few years, my involvement has taken on a much more personal note.
As many of you may know, just before Christmas of 2012, my father suffered a heart attack. We discovered he had a 95 percent blockage in his left anterior descending artery and needed to receive an angiogram and he had a stent inserted in his artery. Fortunately, thanks to research funded by the American Heart Association, the amazing advances in treatment, and the incredible care he received, he was able to come home just a few days later and make it to Christmas Eve mass to watch his grand-daughters perform in the Christmas pageant. He continues to make a full recovery.
I became involved with the American Heart Association to help raise awareness that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in this country for both men and women. The American Heart Association is a source of funding for critical cardiovascular research, and community outreach programs. As an organization, it is second only to the National Institutes of Health in funding of research grants-- making it the largest private sponsor of research in the United States.
My dad was one of the lucky ones, but, many Americans are still at high risk of heart disease and stroke. I have set a personal goal to raise $30,000 by March 1, 2016 and hope you will support me in helping The American Heart further its mission to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
You can help me reach my goal by making a tax-deductible donation to the American Heart Association online. Click on the link towards the top of this page to make a secure, online credit card donation.
