CINCINNATI — Eleven years ago, Amanda Changet's father Vince died after he suffered a heart attack. He was 37.
"We lost him way too soon," Changet wrote in her Heart Mini profile. "He is my why. Why I chose not to smoke, not to take the small things for granted, he's why I exercise and eat right."
Since then, Changet has walked in the Heart Mini for the past four years in honor of him, and she is the coach of a race-team called Vinny's Minis.
"It’s just nice to celebrate his life, year after year at an event like this," Changet said. "We’re walking and running extra hard for you today pops.”
Sadly, Changet's story is not uncommon. According to the American Heart Association, one in three Americans die from heart disease, stroke or other cardiovascular diseases.
Deanne Semertsidis, a teammate of Changet's, lost her father and brother to heart disease, and she almost died from the disease as well.
But there is hope.
Since the American Heart Association was founded in 1924, the total cardiovascular death rate has dropped 13.7 percent and the cardiovascular health score in the United States has improved 3.95 percent.
"These numbers represent progress," the AHA wrote in their annual report for 2016-2017. "These statistics each represent millions more people who are surviving the world’s leading causes of death and enjoying a better quality of life."
