Have a Heart

This morning, Eric and I woke up early again, for another great cause: our town's annual American Heart Association Heart Walk.

Heart disease is the #1 killer in America and it has been found that 1 in 3 women will die of heart disease. That said, it's not something that I ever considered too much before I became great friends with a special woman named Michelle.

Seven years ago, at the age of 28, my friend Michelle suffered and almost died from a major heart attack. The picture of health, this non-drinking, non-smoking college soccer player had no history of heart disease. She awoke in the middle of the night one night to crushing heart pains and was rushed to the hospital. She nearly died...and she was the Mom of a kindergartener and a two year old.

Now, seven years, one emegency triple bypass and a pacemaker later, Michelle is a walking "Poster Girl" for the American Heart Association. As a spokesperson, she tells her story and makes a great case for the fact that each of us should do all we can to fight and find a cure for heart disease.

So this morning, the cause that got me out of bed (on my one morning to sleep in) was my friend Michelle - a woman who never feels sorry for herself despite the fact that she's in constant risk of being placed on the heart transplant list.

I think Michelle honestly believes that she has been given this lot in life to help educate and inform others about the risks and prevention of heart disease. For me, she's a great role model not only for living a healthy lifestyle, but also for being a fighter - and one with a great attitude as well!

Michelle is one of the many heros in my life, so this morning as I jogged along watching my son's back as he grew smaller and smaller and the space between us grew greater and greater, I thanked God for the fact that I'm healthy enough to run two miles (albeit very slowly) and that my friend Michelle is healthy enough to walk two miles and teach us all about courage, determination and living each day to its fullest.

For more information about our Heart Walk team, click here.