A wheelchair holding shoes filled with roses and a pillow decorated with a button down shirt wheeled to the finish line as the Freeman family pushed it in memory of beloved father and husband Paul.
“He was 88 years old when he passed away,” Freeman said. “ He was a very witty and funny person.”
Family, friends and canines all gathered Saturday morning for the Los Angeles County Heart Walk in Long Beach. The American Heart Association hosted the three mile walk and raised over $1 million for research, according to the AHA website.
Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the country, AHA Vice President Nichole Guzman said. In the United States alone about 610,000 people die annually of heart disease, accounting for one in four deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Paul was a World War II veteran who loved science, science fiction, his wife and making friends, his daughter Alisha Freeman said. His battle with heart disease included having multiple bypasses and a pacemaker before passing away in the spring, Freeman said.
“The mission is to decrease cardiovascular disease by 20 percent by 2020,” said Chris Gibson from PepsiCo, who raised over $3 million for the walk.
Walkers such as Andre Nuwte took part in the event to support those who have battled with heart disease and stroke.
“It’s a noble, honest thing to do,” Nuwte said. “All of those need to be recognized for all the diseases they encounter.”
Nurses from Long Beach Memorial and volunteers from Los Angeles Medical Center walked as well.
“I came to support the cause,” Long Beach Memorial nurse Katy Lonsdale said. “I take care of a lot of patients with heart disease and stroke.”
Families who lost members due to heart disease wore shirts in remembrance of their loved ones.
“This is our third year supporting the walk,” Sean Fontaine said. “My cousin’s daughter was born with half a heart.”
Molly Mccoy was two-and-a-half years old when she died, and she donated her corneas to a 60-year-old man and 80-year-old woman, Fontaine said.
Mccoy died on the waitlist to receive a heart transplant.
The walk began with Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” as walkers and runners held up their hands and cheered. Parents danced their way to the starting line with their children above their heads and canines below following the crowd.
Survivors and walkers were able to enjoy snacks, take selfies and play games. After the walk, students from American Career College waited to give massages.
Rachel Valencia said that her reason for walking is her grandfather, who dealt with heart problems for 40 years. He had a quadruple bypass, stroke and four heart attacks, Valencia said while carrying her daughter on her back.
The 2015 Los Angeles Heart Walk is hosted in four different locations. The next walk will take place in Santa Clarita on Oct. 10th.