Adventures in Congenital Heart Walks

This blog post is late. And it is very short. Terri (who edits the ACHA Blog) is very patient. I had high hopes for writing this reflective blog about my adventure as Congenital Heart Walk – Boston Metro committee chair. I wanted to write about the whys, the hows, and the thoughts behind why I took on this great experience, but I have been too busy with the actual planning of the walk! I am attending to a lot of little details as we come upon the final weeks leading up to the walk, as well as to all those other little details in all the other areas of my life—which took up my writing time. I am sure you understand, and I promise a long, reflective, post-walk post!

To date we have raised $24,000 and have almost 130 walkers joining us on April 28 on the beautiful Boston Common. Our committee of hard-working volunteers has managed to pull off a first year walk, in a very short time, beyond any of our initial expectations.

Frankly, when February rolled around without a location, I was skeptical there would be a 2012 Congenital Heart Walk here in Boston. But, typical of our community of congenital heart folks, we rallied, pushed on against the odds, and made it work.

I am so looking forward to meeting the participants who are joining us. Each one has a reason to be there, be it their own struggle with CHD or their child’s, walking in honor of someone or in memory of someone. Each has a story to share. On April 28, I look forward to a crowd of stories, a crowd of perseverance above many odds.

Congenital heart patients, parents and families need to be seen and need to be heard. In a nutshell, that is why I am doing this. And it is why I will do it all again next year.

A note from ACHA: We hope you will register for a Congenital Heart Walk in your city today! Click here for more information, dates and registration links.