Last week we kicked off our ‘Life is Why We Give’ campaign supporting the American Heart Association.
As our stores begin to fill with red hearts, we thank you for helping the millions that are affected each year by heart disease.
Don’t forget, there are many easy ways you can donate when you stop by our travel centers to fill up and grab a snack.
- Paper Heart Icons: Purchase $1, $3 or $5 red hearts in our stores across the country
- Pin-Pad Round Up or Donation*: Round up your purchase to the nearest whole dollar or elect to donate other amounts at the pin-pad during checkout.
- Donate Online: Visit pilotflyingj.com/life-is-why to make an online contribution.
- Social Media Donation: On Valentine’s Day, follow @pilotflyingj on social media for an opportunity to “spread the love” and donate to the American Heart Association.
As we continue into the second week of our campaign, we are excited to share more stories from two of our team members who are truly thankful for the American Heart Association:
Ken Abernathy
Last year in May, I started having pains in my neck and shoulders. Thinking it was a pinched nerve, I did everything I could to try to fix my pain. The pain only got worse, so in August I had my wife take me to the Immediate Care Center. They ran various tests and founds out that I was having a heart attack. I was immediately taken to our local hospital in Lafayette Indiana, where they performed catheterization and found out I had in my three main arteries two that were 100% blocked and the other one was 90% blocked. In total, I had 9 stents put in. I always thought I was in good health because I did not smoke or drink, and tried to eat properly. I have a family history of heart disease in my family. The doctors and nurses at my hospital were fantastic, and the latest breakthroughs in heart treatment are amazing! I was back to work in two weeks, and with proper medication, exercise, and eating right, I feel better than I have in years. I will definitely be the champion of the American Heart Association, every dollar raised can help someone like me to survive and thrive after a heart attack.
Bentley Brown
On January 28th, 2016 Bentley was born with multiple birth defects. A few days later, we found out that he had heart disease, double outlet right ventricle, and Pentalogy of Cantrell. He came home from the NICU on July 13th, 2016 with oxygen, a plus-ox monitor, and all kinds of different meds. With time and the help of his care team, Bentley became strong enough to have reconstructive open heart surgery on April 22nd, 2019. After a 16 hour surgery, he came out with a pace maker to get his left side to beat at the same pace as the right side. After a 10 day stay at the hospital and a couple more scares, Bentley was able to come home now a happy and healthy 3 year old. We couldn’t happier or more blessed.
