Start! Heart Walk

As you all probably know, our lives were forever changed on Sunday, February 15, 2009 when my 33 year old husband collapsed on our stairs on his way to put our daughter to bed. Two hours later, he was diagnosed as having had a single ischemic left MCA stroke. The next day, he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure.

After arriving at the hospital paralyzed on the right side of his body and completely unable to speak, J.J. has made great strides in his recovery. His physical recovery is almost total, his heart function has now returned to the normal range and his speech is better every day. He'll hopefully be returning to work on Monday, August 24, six months and nine days after his stroke.

Stroke is the number 3 killer in the United States and the number 1 cause of permanent disability. This is also not just an issue that impacts the elderly--my husband is living proof.

Our whole family will be walking in the Start! Heart Walk sponsored by the American Heart Association on Saturday, September 19 under the team name Team Erin and J.J. There will be a separate 1 mile walk for stroke survivors that J.J. will also complete as part of this event.

Please consider supporting us with your well wishes, by joining our team and walking with us or by making a financial donation to support the cause of stroke research and awareness. J.J.'s team page can be found at http://heartwalk.kintera.org/indy/jj and my personal team page can be found at http://heartwalk.kintera.org/indy/erin. Doesn't matter which one you navigate to--they are both hooked into Team Erin and J.J.

Thanks for your consideration and support!