Despite being largely preventable with healthy living and regular check-ups, cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the country.
With the right information, Eric Thomas believes a lot of those lives could be saved.
The goal of Saturday’s Heart Walk and Health Fair, hosted by the Eric Thomas Open Heart Foundation, is to get that information to the right people.
“Even if you’ve been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, diabetes or whatever, it’s not a death sentence. You can get better. You just need the proper information,” Thomas told The Dispatch. “ … We can change lives and cause people to live a healthier life.”
Thomas was diagnosed with heart disease when he was 46. Five years later, he underwent heart surgery in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Having surgery is life changing because I have to do so much in order to start my day. I have to do so much in order to end my day,” he said. “A lot of the things that I used to … do, I can’t do them anymore.”
If he had known what measures to take to prevent the disease early, Thomas said it could have made a difference for him.
“That’s one of the things that we want to bring awareness to,” he said. “Sometimes people don’t hear, so they don’t act on it. But when they hear situations like mine, that will make them think ‘I need to go to the doctor and get checked out.’”
Thomas first had the idea for the Heart Walk when a similar event was held in Birmingham while he was traveling back and forth to rehabilitation after his surgery. The foundation hosted a local heart walk for the first time last year in February, which is American Heart Month.
Thomas said the event will kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Roger Short Soccer Complex with a short ceremony followed by the Heart Walk. Then more than 30 vendors will be available to provide various screenings and health information. The goal is to encourage healthier ways of living, he said.
“We’re going to have people there that can take blood pressure, talk about natural foods that they can eat,” he said. “We’ve got people teaching CPR. We’re going to have somebody that’s going to do two sessions of Zumba. It’s just going to be a great thing.”
The event this year is family oriented, and parents are encouraged to bring their children, Thomas said. There will be bounce houses and firetrucks to keep them entertained, he said.
Some kids will even have a chance to earn scholarship money at the event. Seniors from Columbus, Caledonia, New Hope and West Lowndes high schools are invited to volunteer at the event this year, Thomas said.
“If they volunteer, they get to put their name in a hat,” he said. “We’re going to draw three names out, and we’re going to give those scholarships to those three kids whose names we pull. A lot of the kids have to have volunteer hours, so this is a way for them to give back where so much has been given to them.”
Renee Sanders, executive director for United Way of the Golden Triangle, said she plans to head to the fair from the Frank P. Phillips Memorial YMCA Saturday with the rest of her fitness class. She encouraged other community members to take advantage of the free opportunity to learn about heart disease prevention.
“Any time we can promote healthy living, walking (and) exercising in a fun way, I’m 100% behind that,” she told The Dispatch. “I want people to get out and come because it’s so easy to ignore warning signs. Your body always gives you a warning, doesn’t mean you have to listen, but it always gives you a warning.”
Those who are interested can register for the Heart Walk in advance by scanning the QR code on the event flyer located on the United Way of the Golden Triangle website or by going to form.jotform.com/240361961443151.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
