Santa Clarita Fights Heart Disease and Stroke 


 More than 2,000 Santa Clarita Valley community members, including heart disease and stroke survivors, came together at Bridgeport Park on October 15 for the American Heart Association’s third annual Santa Clarita Heart Walk.
Family, community and company teams took lifesaving steps to fight heart disease, the nation’s No. 1 killer, and stroke, the leading cause of serious long-term disability.
At the event, 2-year-old heart disease survivor Jasmine Winning celebrated her birthday on stage with participants singing her a happy birthday.  Jasmine was born with half a heart and has had two open-heart surgeries in her young life.  She will have another procedure in a year or two and is expected to need a heart transplant in the future.
Another heart disease survivor, Jocelyn Reyes, who served as the community chair for the Santa Clarita Heart Walk, shared her story and encouraged people to be aware of the warning signs and get help immediately at the first sign of symptoms.
“I waited and hoped that the pain goes away.  It did go away, but that could have been a fatal mistake.  When it comes to your heart, please don’t delay calling for help,” Reyes told the crowd.
The Heart Walk aims to create a culture of health by engaging community members in physical activity and heart-healthy living, while raising much-needed funds to fight heart disease and stroke.  It included a non-competitive 5K walk/run and a festival area featuring interactive and fun activities, health information, Kids Zone, entertainment and more.
To be a part of next year’s Santa Clarita Heart Walk, visit www.HeartWalkLA.org. 

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