TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay's annual Heart Walk event kicked off at Raymond James Stadium Saturday morning.
The event took place at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 4201 North Dale Mabry Highway. Festivities began at 7:30 a.m., with the opening ceremony at 8:40 a.m., to kick off the 9 a.m. walk.
Thousands of people laced up their shoes to raise awareness with the American Heart Association.
News Channel 8's Anchor Stacie Schaible, along with other station reporters, attended the walk, which is 3.1 miles, along with a 1-mile Survivor loop.
"As someone whose family has been deeply impacted by heart disease, being a spokeswoman for the Tampa Bay Heart Walk is incredibly meaningful to me. I wholeheartedly invite you to join my team or make a contribution – every dollar plays a vital role in saving lives,” said Schaible.
The Heart Walk is a time to celebrate health, wellness, survivorship, and honor loved ones lost.
"One in three people are affected by some sort of cardiovascular disease," said Nina Morgan, Executive Director for AHA in Tampa Bay. "So, it's likely that someone has a reason to get out here and walk, whether it's prevention and you just want to be healthier for your future, or you yourself have had an incident, or you're honoring someone in your life who has been affected by these diseases."
People learned healthy heart tips, information about stroke and heart disease, and hands-on CPR training.
For CPR, experts said if someone is in trouble, check if they are breathing. If they are unresponsive, call 911 and start chest compressions.
"When you do the compressions, you do a simple follow the chin down, in line with the nipples, and then we're going to take the heal of our hand and put it right there in that spot and push hard and fast on the chest until EMS arrives," said Courtney Burt, the VP of Community Impact.
"The chances are if you see somebody experiencing cardiac arrest, it's going to be a loved one, it's going to be somebody that you know. So, you don't want to be in a situation where if something happens, you wouldn't know what to do," said Johnny Johnson, National Communications Manager.
Derek Stock said he is thankful CPR has always been a part of his life.
"Two and a half years ago, my son was struck by lightning in our boat in the Tampa Bay area and went into cardiac arrest. I got him out of the water and into the boat and administered CPR. I'm just happy he's here today," he said.
He said his goal is to raise awareness and get as many people as possible trained in CPR.
"There's a lot of what ifs that were going through my brain at that time, 'What if I wouldn't have reached him in the water when I was able to jump in and find him?' A lot of what ifs, but I'm just thankful that CPR wasn't a 'what if', I was able to keep blood flowing," Stock said.
The American Heart Association celebrated its 100th year in 2024 and through events like the Heart Walk, they continue to raise awareness one step at a time. News Channel 8's goal was to raise $50,000 this year.