Thank you again SO MUCH for supporting Heart Month and the BEAT February Challenge. For the past 5 years I have stepped on a treadmill in the lobby of Movati Athletic in Waterloo and walked for 24 straight hours in my 24 Hour Walk For Heart and Stroke. With your help we’ve raised over $50,000 in 5 years. I can’t thank you enough for the incredible support.
This year I did something a bit different. Instead of walking for 24 straight HOURS, was active for 28 straight DAYS. it’s The BEAT February Challenge and every day through the month of February I was active for at least 28 minutes of exercise every morning, during The Beat Breakfast.
Heart disease and stroke touch so many lives and the stats are staggering ….
- Every seven minutes in Canada, someone dies from heart disease or stroke, making it a leading cause of death and disability in Canada.
- 1 in 2 Canadians will be touched by heart failure.
- There are an estimated 62,000 strokes in Canada each year. That’s one stroke every nine minutes.
- Heart disease and stroke take 1 in 3 Canadians before their time and is the leading cause of death among women in Canada.
- Today, more than 90 per cent of Canadians who have a heart attack and more than 80 per cent who have a stroke and make it to hospital will survive.
My family and friends have been touched by heart disease and luckily, they are all survivors thanks to the research being done by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
- My dad has a pacemaker which he’s had for ten years
- My aunt had triple bypass surgery six years ago
- Another aunt has had two pacemakers for 16 years
- My brother’s best friend had his first valve replacement when he was just a newborn.
Without their surgeries, diagnoses and technologies, my dad, aunts, uncle, cousin, and brother’s best friend might not be alive today. It’s my small way of giving back and saying thanks.
I hope that by being active for the 28 days of February, I inspired you to get active and take steps to a healthier life and prevent disease. It’s possible and it just takes a little commitment.
That’s why I took up this challenge – to raise awareness and funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The generous donations from Beat listeners of $50,000 over the past 5 years are helping fund Heart and Stroke Foundation researchers and the work they do to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery, helping more Canadians live longer, fuller lives.
Thank you so much for your generous donations and getting to $50,000! How much higher can we go? Please donate below and let’s create more moments.
Thank you,
Carlos
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