Outside Assignment 5 Kayla Ellsworth GAINESVILLE Nearly everyone in America has been affected by heart disease or stroke, whether

it has affected them personally or their brothers, sisters, grandparents, mothers or fathers They are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of all Americans, according to the American Heart Association. Doraima Alvarez has been affected by cardiovascular diseases both personally and amongst family members. Alvarez is a ventricular septal defect survivor, who also lost her 3month-old baby sister, Lisa Marie, to atrial septal defect. On Saturday morning, Alvarez joined more than 3,000 people at the North Florida Regional Medical Center to stand united in the fight against heart disease and stroke by participating in the Alachua Heart Walk. The Heart Walk is part of the American Heart Associations My Heart, My Life initiative, a national movement that encourages people to take steps toward a heart-healthy lifestyle, said emcee Storm Roberts of 98.5 KTK. The Alachua Heart Walk serves a two-fold purpose of generating awareness through community education, while simultaneously raising money to fund critical research in the areas of cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is an opportunity for individuals to come together as a community to honor and memorialize all those who have been affected by heart disease or stroke. -more-

HEART/ ADD 1 Many of us know people that have been affected by Heart Disease and many of us have personal experience with the way this disease affects us, Heart Walk chairman Nick Banks said. The Heart Walks mission was to bring these communities together; to rejoice together; to mourn together. A place for individuals to share their stories, and make others conditions their own, Banks said. Alvarez said the Heart Walk gave her the opportunity to share her story and feel united with an entire community of people who knew what she had been through, or had also lost someone to cardiovascular diseases. Alvarez was able to pay tribute to her sister by writing her name on the Skanska memorial wall. The memorial wall was cluttered with names and messages to loved ones, such as Lisa Marie, who were lost or affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. In addition to the memorial wall, individuals were able to honor their loved ones by writing their names on torches that they could carry around for the duration of the walk. Torches were available with a minimum donation of $10. There was a brief ceremony where everyone was asked to raise their torches and take a moment to honor these loved ones. Roberts said, so as you walk today in the Alachua County Walk we invite you to go ahead and carry the torch in memory of, or in honor of, somebody that you love thats been impacted by heart disease or stroke: your dad, your mom, your sister, brother, child, friend, coworker, neighbor, anybody who does your torch burn for?. -more-

HEART/ ADD 2 In addition, walkers had the opportunity to raise donations to help fight cardiovascular disease and stroke. Kelley Fohlick, the regional director of the Alachua County American Heart Association, said donations amounted to roughly $240,000 as of Saturday. The goal was to raise $260,000, which meant they needed $275,000 to be able to cover expenses, she said. Donations will remain open until the end of October. Roberts said the donations raised in the Heart Walk really do save lives through funding critical research and community programs in the areas of heart disease and stroke. Walker Lauren Furgason said her favorite part of the walk, aside from raising money for a great cause, was having the opportunity to bond with fellow community members. -30-