Heart disease survivors reflect at American Heart Association’s annual walk in Dallas

Thai Braggs calls her husband and son “the Franks” because they share the same first name. Her 2-year-old loves scarfing down mac and cheese and chasing his dogs, Zeus and Apollo, through the doggie door at their Princeton home.

Before Frank was born, doctors diagnosed him with a congenital heart defect that makes it difficult to breathe. He’s had two heart surgeries, with a third scheduled next month.

Braggs and the Franks spent Saturday morning at the American Heart Association’s Annual Heart Walk event at the Reunion Tower lawn in downtown Dallas, where more than 30,000 people gathered to spread awareness about heart health and raise money for research. The association, based in Dallas, is entering its 100th year of fighting heart disease, which is the world’s leading cause of death.

Braggs and her husband attended the AHA’s CPR classes after Frank was born. She’s grateful to the organization for making medical information accessible and helping her care for her son.

“The American Heart Association is a great organization that’s bringing research and information to everyone, for kids like him,” she said.

Investing in heart disease research

Saturday morning, the Reunion Tower lawn swarmed with attendees wearing matching yellow, purple and red shirts to match their company or walking group. Tents scattered across the lawn provided information about different aspects of heart health, like controlling cholesterol levels and quitting tobacco use. On a row of bikes, cycling instructor Sabrina Roy kept participants pedaling through a remix of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.”

At 9 a.m., it was time to walk.

The American Heart Association was founded by six cardiologists in 1924, and is the country’s oldest and largest voluntary organization that fights heart disease and stroke.

The AHA has invested more than $5 billion into heart disease and stroke research, and has funded 14 Nobel Prize-winning investigators. AHA-funded research in the 1950s laid the groundwork for modern-day pacemakers and defibrillators.

“We’ve got a phenomenal 99 years,” said Chris LaTurno, senior vice president of the AHA’s Dallas division. “But once we hit the 100, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

In Dallas, the organization’s goals include training residents to perform hands-only CPR, improving access to healthy foods, implementing self-monitoring blood-pressure cuffs at North Texas clinics, and encouraging schools to revise tobacco and vaping policies.

The AHA supports North Texas organizations whose work aligns with these goals, including Metrocrest Hospital Authority and the North Texas Food Bank.

Crossing the finish line

Heart Walk participants chose a 1- or 3-mile walk, pushing strollers and holding hands with friends and family members. Survivors wore gold medals around their necks.

On heart-shaped posters, attendees wrote messages to loved ones they were walking for. “For my uncle who fought so hard,” read one. “I am walking for trillions and trillions of beats of the heart,” said another.

ESPN analyst King McClure, 26, attended the walk with his family. McClure was a freshman at Baylor University, recruited to play basketball, when he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The walls of his heart got thicker during physical activity, which could lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

McClure’s doctor told him he’d have to quit basketball. But after having a defibrillator implanted in his chest, McClure played with Baylor for four years. Now, McClure partners with the AHA because he’s passionate about making people aware of their heart health.

“I wish more people knew it existed,” he said. “We see too many times where people don’t know that they have a heart disease until it’s too late.”

At midday Saturday, the Dallas Heart Walk had raised $4.1 million out of a $5.6 million goal. As participants made it to the end, they high-fived and took selfies before heading to the water tent. Survivors rang a bell at the finish line as volunteers cheered.

Madison Encinias, 11, threw her hands up in the air with relief as she crossed the line, a red cape billowing behind her and a medal around her neck. “I need coffee,” she told her mom, Allison.

As her family made it to the end, Braggs couldn’t contain her joy. Frank’s heart defect causes him to tire easily and he gets winded climbing stairs. Watching him walk across the finish line was a reminder to Braggs that through all the unknowns, her son is still here.

“We didn’t know that this day was coming,” she said. “So to be at this point today … it just makes my heart happy.”

Adithi Ramakrishnan is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.