After a 2-year hiatus, the American Heart Association’s Ventura County Heart Walk made a comeback, bringing together more than 600 community members for a walk to save lives from heart disease and stroke, the nation’s leading causes of death.
The event, held at California Lutheran University and sponsored by Amgen, UCLA Health and Dignity Health St. John’s Regional Medical Center, raised more than $144,000.
Among the walk participants were Vicki Woods, who celebrated surviving a series of heart attacks when she was 47 years old, and the Martinez family, who walked in honor of Heaven, who was born with a heart defect.
Teams from local companies also joined the event, including Bank of America, Moorpark College, Oxnard College, Westfalia Fruit Marketing, Adventist Health Simi Valley, the City of Thousand Oaks and Sage Publishing/Corwin.
Heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more than 870,000 men, women and children every year. Funds raised at the Heart Walk support the work of improving care and outcomes for heart disease and stroke patients, advocating for stronger public health policies and funding innovative scientific research to improve survival and find cures.
The American Heart Association has invested more than $5 billion in research, resulting in breakthroughs that save and improve countless lives every day, including CPR, the artificial heart valve, cholesterol-lowering drugs, stents and microsurgery.
The Association is also committed to ensuring equitable health in all communities by changing structures, laws and systems that make it difficult for many people to achieve a full, healthy life.
Visit Heart.org to learn more about the American Heart Association and get involved.
