American heart month is back and we are excited to celebrate American Heart Association’s Life is Why™ campaign for the fourth year in our stores.
Throughout February, join the fight against heart disease and stroke by donating online or visiting our stores to round up or purchase a paper heart in support of the life-saving work of the American Heart Association.
Know that every dollar donated and every heart purchased adds up to make a BIG difference. Over the last three years, thanks to the generosity of our guests, partners and team members, we’ve been able to raise more than $3 million so far for American Heart Association. We hope to keep this going in 2021, joining with our guests to rally support for this important cause that impacts so many lives.
All of the proceeds raised through Life is Why™ directly benefit the critical programs of the American Heart Association, which funds research that can improve the health outcomes of heart and stroke patients, will train more than 2.5 million high school students in CPR annually and supports the work of local entrepreneurs and organizations working to improve health outcomes in under-resourced communities.
Throughout this month, American Heart Association will be sharing on our blog heart healthy tips and resources based on their research to help you stay healthier on the road. Be sure to check out the Pilot Flying J app for great deals on healthier drinks and snacks all February.
Our Team is Our ‘Why’
For us, our team members are the heart of our company and are our “Why.” A few of our team members shared their heart stories to help inspire more people to focus on their heart health and to join the Life is Why™ campaign. We’re grateful to them, and all of our team members and guests, for helping us fuel life’s journeys by supporting American Heart Association.
Here are their stories:
Gary Saunders
On June 14th, 2018 I had open heart surgery triple by-pass and was on the operating table for 12 hours. Prior to surgery, I went through many tests and they found a blockage of -97 – 98 and 77 % on all three valves. Prior to open heart surgery, they tried placing stents in them twice and were not successful. After this, I had to wait nine days for the open heart surgery due to being on blood thinners. Every night I was thinking I would never wake up again and my life would be over due to the valves being clogged. I’m so proud of my family with all the love and support they gave me and Pilot Company for the caring team members and the Senior Management of our company caring and being concerned.
Angie Terry
Summer of 2019, I had a dizzy episode at work. I stumbled into the stall door in the rest room. The next day I was still dizzy. I chalked it up to vertigo, as I’ve had it before. Later that day I went to stand up at the movie theater & nearly fell down the stairs. I went to Fort Sanders ER & after several tests I was told I had a small stroke. I was admitted and had more testing done over the course of a few days with a finding of a congenital heart defect. A PFO (Patent Ductus Ovale) was the issue that caused my stroke. December 31, 2019, I had a PFO repair device implanted in the Cath Lab. It is almost my one year anniversary since surgery. I applaud the Cardiac department at Fort Sanders for their diligent attention & care. Never ignore the abnormal. Get checked out. It could very well save your life.
Hannah Lewis
Bennett was born with a severe and critical heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The defect requires a 3 step surgery to help prolong the patient’s life. However, Bennett doesn’t always follow the text books. He spent nearly the first year of his life in the hospital at Vanderbilt Children’s. During that time he survived 3 open heart surgeries, a stroke, seizures, a G-tube placement and cardiac arrest. By God’s grace we took him home in time for Christmas! We enjoyed nearly over a year at home with him and then it was time for another heart surgery… the suspected three week stay turned into a six month stay due to another emergency open heart surgery and a terrible staph infection called MRSA. It developed in his chest and completely ate away his sternum. This put Bennett at five open heart surgeries and the MRSA put him into severe heart failure. Week by week, we watched in amazement as his heart function restored. Bennett is 8 now and full of life and love and he brightens up any room he is in. Due to his complications in the hospital, Bennett is overall delayed. He cannot eat on his own or walk independently and he has limited vocabulary. Bennett was never able to receive the other two very important heart surgeries and it was decided two summers ago that he never will be a candidate for them as his heart as endured too many procedures. Bennett has had over 13 heart catheterizations along with his 5 open heart surgeries. We love every minute we get with him and hope for a bright wonderful future that I know is ahead of him. We are so thankful for organizations like the American Heart Association because hopefully one day we will have a cure for CHD and all other heart diseases. My gratitude for Pilot can never be expressed in words. They’ve been such a wonderful support system for my family. Fun Fact: CHD awareness week starts on February 7th… Bennett’s birthday is also February 7th!!
