Your heart is a lot older than you are, but you can turn back the clock

Local organizers are partnering with the American Heart Association (AHA) once again for the annual Heart Walk, set to return next month to Cullman’s Depot Park.

The yearly fundraiser, one of 300 AHA-sponsored Heart Walk events throughout the U.S., benefits medical research to finds solutions for heart disease and stroke. Over the past 25 years, the Heart Walk has generated $3.4 billion in research fundraising nationwide, according to AHA. The organization is making an aggressive push to surpass the $5 billion mark heading into the current fundraising cycle.

The Heart Walk is open to anyone in the Cullman community. This year’s event will be held Saturday, Nov. 17 starting at 8 a.m. at Depot Park near Cullman’s Warehouse District. Individuals and teams can register online at 2.heart.org/cullmanheartwalk.

AHA points to past successes as it looks to raise fresh awareness to fund the next wave of research. Since the first Heart Walk back in 1993, mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke have declined by 45 percent, a statistic the organization credits, in part, to funding efforts that keep research at the cutting edge.

Approximately 2,150 people die of heart disease-related illness each day in the U.S., making it the nation’s leading cause of death. “Every donation helps create new technologies such as the artificial heart valve, cholesterol drugs, stents, and the mechanical heart pump which helps extend the life of patients,” AHA said.