LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) -The American Heart Association hosted a heart walk at Keeneland Saturday morning where $360,000 was raised for the annual Central Kentucky Heart Walk.

Executive Director of the American Heart Association in Central Kentucky, Andrea Ooten says the funds are going straight back into research.

“Over 100 years, we have been working tirelessly to find different solutions to heart disease and strokes,” she said. “Whether that’s in funding research for treatment plans or prevention, so people can survive if they have a heart attack or a stroke.”

Ooten says around 2,000 people participated in the walk for different reasons. Many of the participants were walking to support their loved ones or are a survivor themselves, like Richard Green.

“I had five bypasses in 1999, 25 years ago so I’m celebrating,” Green said.

Green says that at 80 years old, it is nice to see people of all ages supporting this cause.

“It’s nice to be among others that have heart surgery and heart procedures,” he said.

Among the other survivors was Dan Zuber, who had an aortic dissection when he was coaching a middle school basketball game in Clarke County. A year later, his wife Wendy could relate.

“Last fall after a series of unusual symptoms, that began with a prescient cough and chest congestion, I found out I had severe mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation requiring surgery,” Wendy Zuber said.

Not too many people can say that a middle school girls’ basketball game saved their life, but the Zuber’s can. Wendy says she hopes stories like her family’s will encourage other people to be lifesavers instead of bystanders.

The American Heart Association will host another Heart Walk to raise awareness and funds on May 18 at Clarke Regional Medical Center.

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