Heart smart: Walkers raise money, celebrate new lives
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Hundreds of people make their way along Racine St. near Palmer Park at the beginning of the 2010 Bert Blaine Memorial Start Heart Walk.
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Walkers head out of Palmer Park at the start of the 2010 Bert Blaine Memorial Start Heart Walk.
JANESVILLE — For most walkers, Sunday’s heart walk was a stroll in the park for a good cause.
For others, it was a celebration of a new life and a way to “pay it forward” for future heart patients.
About 700 walkers gathered at Palmer Park for the 2010 Bert Blain Memorial Start! Heart Walk.
The walk is in memory of Blain, the first heart walk chairman who died of a heart attack 10 days before the first walk in 1993.
That year, about 75 walkers raised $4,000.
This year, about 700 walkers are expected to raise about $300,000, said Tom Luedtke, corporate events planner for the American Heart Association.
Start! is the American Heart Association’s program to get America walking. Physical inactivity is one of the major risk factors for heart disease, and the organization is trying to get people moving.
Ron Joers, 59, thought he was getting enough exercise. He had a truck route that included picking up recyclables, and he spent a lot of time getting in and out of his truck and lifting heavy items.
In 2007, he had to have a stent put in his heart, went through cardiac rehab and now is a new man.
“I give all my credit for my second life to my doctors and the rehab people,” Joers said.
He continues to work out at Mercy Hospital’s cardiac rehab center and plans to do so for “as long as my health allows,” which he hopes is a very long time.
The McDonald Law Office put together a team for the event that included Pat and Kathy McDonald, family and friends.
Both Kathy’s father and Pat’s mother had heart problems. Kathy’s brother contracted congestive heart failure from a virus and recently received a heart transplant.
Janesville City Councilman Tom McDonald led the team to a victory—of sorts.
Teams carried signs identifying their businesses.
“We were the first group with a sign to finish,” said the younger McDonald. “The team from Gilmore & Marinaro Family Dentistry was catching up, but we held them off.”
Aug 30, 2010 at 10:38 p.m.
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This is a amazing story of how Janesville can come together to make a difference. I have personally lost several members of my family to this disease. My father was 35,and my father in-law had his first bi-pass at 32, and my husband also passed away at 31. And now my son who was only 12 when he first started receiving treatment is living with Familial Hypercholesterolemia. It is a condition that with treatment he will be able to live a full healthy life. So with that being said, I stress to any and all of you who have had someone pass away of a heart condition, get your children’s cholesterol tested. .. Listen to what your body tells you and get checked out if you think your at risk. And if you know it runs in the family make sure you get a doctor who will treat you and not send you home thinking your over reacting. My husband may still be here if his doctor would have investigated his condition farther. Rather the telling him to lose 10 ponds and his cholesterol would drop. If only he was so lucky, he dropped the 10 pounds and died a year later.
Aug 30, 2010 at 4:39 p.m.
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What a great article. I, personally, would like to thank all who attended and supported yesterday's walk.
We should all be proud to know that this is American Heart Association’s largest fundraiser in its market size AND it's raised over one million dollars since it started 1993. In this economy, that's truly remarkable. We have such an amazing community here in Janesville!
Aug 30, 2010 at 4:20 p.m.
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Blain is spelled without an E. Many of the photos attached to this article are incorrect.
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