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I had the honor of serving as Survivor Ambassador for the American Heart Association Heart Walk last weekend. I got to do a live radio interview the day before and said a few words at the event itself. I enjoyed both opportunities but the walk itself was the highlight. We had a team of about 15 people plus several babies and my new canine roommate, Piper! Despite the monsoon season we’d been having here in New Jersey, the weather cooperated for the walk. Overall, I’d say it was a success – and much easier physically than last year!
Some other things I’ve been thinking about lately…
- I was joking with friends lately about how convenient it would be to find a phlebotomist boyfriend. I guess I could set my sights a little higher and look for a cardiologist boyfriend, but I don’t want to push my luck.
- I’m thinking about being Frankenstein for Halloween. That should require zero effort.
- I have officially decided to write a book! So far I have four and a half pages. I’m thinking I might complete it by 2032.
Come one, come all to the 2011 Central NJ Heart Walk! It’s hard to believe that October 1 is just ONE week away! It’s definitely time to order the latest limited edition t-shirts!
I am honored to be this year’s survivor ambassador – what an improvement from last year, when I wasn’t sure I could even complete the 5k walk! Experiencing the energy at last year’s walk and having many friends (and my mom) walk with me was really special, and I hope to contribute to that kind of energy again this year. My goal is to give hope to at least one person early in his or her heart disease battle the way people did for me last year.
If you can join the fun but haven’t signed up yet, click here. The more the merrier! Our team name is We Got The Beat.
The We Got The Beat design team has created a versatile selection of shirts for your wearing pleasure – for men, women, toddlers and even pregnant ladies! Go to this link [fast!] to order yours: http://www.cafepress.com/heartwalk2011.
If you can’t attend but want to contribute to this great cause, please click here to make a donation. The American Heart Association works tirelessly to fund important research initiatives and to educate people about the risks and symptoms of heart disease.
Two of my very good friends already participated in the San Francisco Heart Walk – thanks so much to Rachael and Ioana! You guys are the best!
You know those cars that can go from zero to sixty in like three seconds? For that to happen, the car engine obviously has to react as soon as the gas pedal is depressed. Well, that’s essentially how most people’s hearts work. Your body tells your heart it needs to hustle as soon as you exert yourself, which provides you with the proper physiological support. A transplant recipient’s heart operates more like a little four-cylinder vehicle, which works fine once it’s warm but needs some time to catch up after the gas pedal is pushed. Because some nerves are cut during transplantation, it takes time for my heart to figure out that my body needs it to pick up the pace.
So while most gym-goers hop right on the treadmill or elliptical and pump it up to full speed, I need to start out very slowly and work my way up. I begin walking at a leisurely pace, then increase the speed and introduce increasing amounts of incline to get my heart moving. Because I’m only able to get my heart rate up to about 120 walking (resting is 105), my first episode of jogging is really quite miserable. However, once my heart is beating at between 140 and 155 beats per minute, jogging becomes worlds easier. The trick is to insert the right amount of walking between each jogging spurt so that I get a bit of a rest but maintain the high heart rate.
So what in the world does 2 + 3 + 3 = EIGHT mean? That’s the number of minutes I jogged on Sunday as a part of my most intense post-transplant workout yet! I felt like Rocky afterwards. I slowed my pace a little from earlier jogging efforts per my dad’s sage advice and felt much better and was able to run longer, both in terms of time and distance. I spent 35 minutes on the treadmill with eight total minutes of jogging (two minutes, then three minutes, then another three minutes). My new pace is 12 minutes/mile or 5 mph. Not exactly breaking records, but making progress!
I completed the same amount of time on the treadmill tonight, again with the 2 + 3 + 3 jogging format. However, tonight’s experience was pretty brutal. I know everyone has tough workouts sometimes, but it’s frustrating to have ONE good workout and then a bad one. It’s hard to get myself back into the gym after feeling bad, but I’ll try to keep Sunday’s Rocky workout in my brain instead of today’s crappy one. I know my workouts will become more pleasant as my body gets more and more accustomed to being pushed. It’s just sometimes difficult to transition knowing something into actually doing it.
I have a new goal, which will help keep me motivated. Donate Life New Jersey is holding a 5k run/walk on June 12, and I intend to participate. I intend to RUN. Don’t get too excited, I won’t be ready to run the whole thing by then, but my goal is to run at least a mile straight. Who’s coming with me?
I’ll keep this short and sweet – the pictures tell a better story than I could anyway! Thanks to MANY friends and family members, I was able to raise $3320 for the American Heart Association (and that’s before any company matching programs)! Our team of 10.5 (ten adults and a baby) crossed that finish line with no problem! My sneaky mom even came into town and surprised me at the walk! It was pretty great to get that 5k walk under my belt – now I look forward to a 5k run. Probably WAY forward, but I’ll get there. So far I’ve jogged four minutes in a single work out, two minutes consecutively.
Thank you again to all of the generous donors and a HUGE thank you to Team Andrea:
Mom – VP, Surprise
Marguerite – Fashion Director & Surprise Coordinator
Chris – Manager, Halloween Hair
Breezy – Director of Photography
Nick – Senior Assistant to the Photographer & Chauffeur (for better or worse)
Karin – Manager, Team Spirit
Marion – Manager, Entertainment
Kara – Manager of Two Below Team Members
Sean – Manager of Four Letter Words
Ryan – Cutest Team Mascot Ever
I set a goal of running a 5k sometime in the next year or so, but I’m planning to walk one on October 2 (less than 11 weeks post-transplant!). I have been having trouble with my left foot since I picked up my walking regimen and saw an orthopedist on Monday (because hey, why not see one more doctor?). He said I have a bone bruise and advised that I avoid high-impact exercise like walking, but I’m hoping to be better in a few more weeks. If not, there is a turn-off where walkers can opt to do a mile instead of the full 5k. For now, I’m planning to walk the full 5k. I think I can, I think I can…
Anyway, the event is the Start! Heart Walk benefiting the American Heart Association (AHA). The mission of the AHA is “building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” An important part of this mission is spreading awareness of the prevalence of heart disease, promoting familiarity with symptoms and educating health care providers about best practices.
In October 2009, I was misdiagnosed by doctors at an urgent care center and later at the ER, which could have easily led to my death. It’s critical that we know the symptoms of various types of heart disease so we can advocate for our own health. Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans (and the #1 killer of women over 25)?
I set a personal goal to raise $500 for heart disease and stroke research and education, which I have already surpassed thanks to your generous contributions! My new goal is to reach $1000 by the end of September. Thank you to those who have already contributed – to the rest of you, please help me reach my new goal and further the fight against heart disease! Also, if you are interested in walking with me (in Bridgewater, NJ), please let me know – the more the merrier!
You can help by making a donation online or by sending a check to me. A donation of any size is greatly appreciated and will help me achieve my goal. Click HERE to visit my personal donation page where you can make a secure online credit card donation. The American Heart Association's online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25, but please feel free to make a smaller donation by sending a check directly to me. Your donation will make a difference in the fight against our nation's #1 and #3 killers - heart disease and stroke. Thank you for your support.
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a status update. Things are good here. Besides the occasional bad day and some lingering side effects like insomnia and a sore chest, I am trending toward normal. Apparently, six months is the magic timeframe after which I will consistently feel normal, so I’m looking forward to that. Today marks my six-week anniversary, and I celebrated with an excitement-free biopsy experience this morning, which is just how we like them. This was my last weekly biopsy, which is a huge relief for my poor neck! I will now have them every other week for six weeks, then they will spread out even more. Wahoo. I’ll find out my rejection score tomorrow or Friday – I have fortunately had no rejection the last two weeks.
About the American Heart Association:“The American Heart Association is the largest voluntary health organization working to prevent, treat and defeat heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. These diseases, the Nation's No.1 and No.3 killers, claim more than 865,000 American lives a year. Thanks to all our walkers, donors and volunteers who have accepted the challenge to help fight heart disease and stroke. We cannot achieve our mission without each one of you!”
