November 14, 2009 was an extremely proud and exciting day for me. On this day, the American Heart Association (AHA) had their annual Heart Walk at Citizens Bank Park and I was presented with the 2009 Lifestyle Change Award! The award is to recognize people who have made positive changes to impact their quality of life and improve their health. Three years ago, I was a size 16 with hypertension and by slowly changing my diet and incorporating physical activity, I managed to loose over 50lbs and now, a size 8/10. Not only did I improve my overall health, I became certified as a fitness instructor and developed a program, Baby Steps to Healthy Living (BS2HL). BS2HL facilitates fun and informative workshops to individuals, families and organizations on eating, exercise and positive emotional wellness.
Leading up to this event, organizations and individuals from all over the Delaware Valley raised money to help prevent Heart Disease and Stroke. The Walk was not only to raise money for research but to also commemorate loved ones and to celebrate survivors.
My daughter, Zaire is a stroke survivor and was amongst the many who were honored. She was given the opportunity to address the crowd to give her thanks to AHA and those who donated their time and money towards prevention of Heart Disease and Stroke.
Also part of the opening ceremonies were Mayor Michael Nutter, Brian McGarry-Heart Walk Chair, Dr. Patricia Sullivan who serves as the President of AHA's Board of Directors and also a Red Cap Survivor and NBC 10's Kristen Welker who was the MC!
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