MILWAUKEE — Veterans Park was filled Saturday with participants for the Milwaukee American Heart Association’s Wisconsin Heart and Stroke Walk, which aimed to raise funds to advance life-saving research, improve CPR education and achieve equitable health for all.
Some decided to take part in the 5K race, which cost $45 to enter, but gave runners a finisher medal once they crossed the finish line.
There was no registration fee for the walk, which began just over an hour after the run.
There was a kids zone, survivor area, music and lots of fun activities, plus pets were allowed.
Chad Jorgenson
The American Heart Association hosted the 2024 Southeast Wisconsin Heart and Stroke Walk on Saturday on the Milwaukee Lakefront.
The event featured several speakers, including event chair Tom Westrick, Matt Pemberton, a featured survivor of heart-related illness, and moderator WISN 12’s Cyreia Sandlin.
Ordinary everyday tasks can often be indicators of heart-related illness, and Pemberton was no exception: He was shoveling snow in 2020 when he suddenly felt short of breath, according to the release.
Pemberton was using a KardiaMobile device he’d received at a GE Healthcare staff meeting, but the readings on the device suggested something might be wrong. He decided to keep shoveling, but then another worrying reading came up, so he decided to go see a doctor.
Tests at the doctor’s office revealed a 90% blockage in my left anterior descending artery, sometimes called the “widow maker.”
Pemberton underwent successful open-heart surgery shortly after his 49th birthday.
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