Survivors celebrate life at Central Virginia Heart Walk

Survivors, transplant recipients and advocates gathered at Innsbrook in Glen Allen on a mid-October Saturday for the American Heart Association's annual Central Virginia Heart Walk. This event raised more than $600,000 to celebrate life and support heart health.

For many in the crowd — heart failure survivors, transplant recipients and families who have faced heart disease — the day was a celebration of survival.

"This is your neighbor, this is your mother, this is your son or daughter, and those individuals really make that tangible for our community," Central Virginia Heart Walk Chair Devin Tobin said. "Those are living examples of the American Heart Association's mission."

One of those living examples is Wayne Hall, a heart failure survivor who did more than wear his heart on his sleeve Saturday. Hall was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart condition, and survived a close call with heart failure two years ago.

"I work at Bon Secours, and they call me the heart of Saint Mary's. I wear this heart for them and for everyone else who is out here because the heart is the most important thing to me," Hall said.

After his recovery, Hall said the Heart Walk was the first thing he wanted to do.

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