This February, millions of people battling heart disease and stroke are being helped by the donations and stories our guests and team members have generously contributed from all over the country. The ‘Life is Why We Give’ campaign reminds us of the far-reaching effects of heart disease that so many of us are familiar with and may even personally be impacted by.
These stories continue to inspire us and those that have shared their stories hope they will inspire you as well:
Donna:
In 1979, Donna’s son was born with serious heart problems. He had multiple surgeries to put in stents, with the understanding that he would have to have additional surgeries as he grew since the stents would not expand as he grew. Sadly, the illness was too much for him, and he passed away when he was just six months old. That experience is why she is so passionate about supporting AHA. Today, children born with her son’s condition have more options for treatments. AHA contributions support research and development into technologies that will make treating conditions like her son had more effective.
Toby Arndt:
My mother passed away 12 years ago from a heart attack. It was very unexpected. Since then my family and I have done everything we can to support this great organization. I also am battling a mild heart disease. I want to help the millions of people out there suffering from heart disease any way that I can. It’s all about my mother. My team here at the store understands that and are willing to go the extra mile to help anyway they can as well.
Danielle Hale:
Danielle had a heart attack unexpectedly that heavily impacted her life and her store team members. When she returned back to work, she was overwhelmed with the many hearts with her name on them covering the store walls. “It was amazing to see how many hearts there were with my name. It was great how much money was able to be raised for AHA. It shows how much our crew and guest are the best,” said Danielle.
Steve Burchfield:
Over the years, my family has been personally affected by heart disease and deaths that could have been avoided. The American Heart Associated has done so many great things for families and saved countless lives of people we know. Not to mention their mission to educate us all on things that can be done to save lives and live healthier to prolong our lives and quality as well. Heart health is to this day a huge importance. We need the AHA more than ever. Thank you AHA for being there all these years serving us all.
Thank you for all of your support for the American Heart Association. There is one week left to give in honor of your “why” – visit any of our locations to purchase a $1, $3 or $5 heart, or find us on social to join and share our “heart for hearts” post to raise up to $10,000.
