Published: September 30, 2009 08:10 pm      

AHA Heart Walk is this weekend

It’s been nearly a year since Kim Hall first found out about the Lake Cumberland Area Heart Walk, an annual fundraising event meant to raise money for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Hall knew the cause was close to her family’s hearts — literally. Hall’s two young children, Austin and Aubrey, were both born with congenital heart defects and had undergone major open heart surgeries to repair those defects in the earliest stages of their lives.

This year, as the 2009 Lake Cumberland Area Start! Heart Walk approaches, Austin, now 4, and Aubrey, now 2, are a bit older, and to Hall’s relief, well on their way to being healthy children.

Austin was born with a mild supravalvar pulmonary stenosis, which means one or more of the three leaflets located in the pulmonary valve of the heart that open in the direction of blood flow and close to prevent blood from flowing backward are defective or too thick, or the leaflets may not separate from each other properly. If that occurs, the valve does not open correctly, and blood flow is restricted.

It wasn’t until Austin was nine months old when doctors discovered that he also suffered from severe supravalvar aortic stenosis — a narrowing of the aorta — which required open heart surgery.

That surgery took place the day after Austin’s first birthday. Since then, Austin has received a clean bill of health, and Hall said the young boy loves to participate in sports, especially football.

Aubrey was born with several congenital heart defects, including pulmonary stenosis and aortic stenosis.

Aubrey underwent her first surgery when she was just two weeks old. To date she has had seven surgeries to correct her congenital heart defects — and she’s due for a check-up so doctors can measure her progress on Oct. 29.

“She’s just a normal two-year-old,” Hall said about Aubrey.

Aubrey is limited as to what activities she can participate in, but Hall said the little girl is as tenacious as any two-year-old.

“You name it, she’s in it,” Hall said.

Aubrey’s normalcy means even more to Hall after being told by doctors when the girl was very young that she would most likely have developmental delays. Those have yet to manifest, and Hall said Aubrey is progressing normally.

“There’s not a thing wrong, thank goodness,” Hall said.

Hall emphasized that more surgeries will be needed for Aubrey. And Hall knows her children’s health — and their future health — has everything to do with the American Heart Association /American Stroke Association and their contributions toward the fight against heart disease and stroke. According to information provided by the non-profit group, heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans, and stroke is the #3 killer of Americans.

Each day, approx-imately 38 Kentuckians lose their lives to heart disease or stroke. Congenital heart defects are also the #1 birth defect in children, according to the organization.

Organizers with the heart walk, scheduled for this Saturday at 9 a.m., hope the event will bring in at least $52,000 for local education, advocacy and research. Last year’s walk saw more than 50 teams.

“I’m really excited,” Hall said. “ I’m hoping to see a huge turnout.”

The Heart Walk is part of the American Heart Association’s Start! movement. Start! is a workplace walking program designed to help people get more physical activity during the business day, as 30 minutes of walking each day can reduce heart disease and stroke risk factors.

The American Heart Association is dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers and all other cardiovascular diseases

Those who want to get more information about Start! or the Start! Heart Walk, or participate may call the American Heart Association at (859) 278-1632.

Those who want to participate in the walk should be at Somerset High School at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. A $255 donation is required to walk, and walkers can choose a one-mile or a three-mile walk.