Eric Thomas Open Heart Foundation hosts annual Heart Walk
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – People in Lowndes County are closing out American Heart Month by getting on their feet.
The Eric Thomas Open Heart Foundation hosted its 3rd annual Heart Walk in Columbus.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.
And Eric Thomas wants to make sure those around him know that, especially during American Heart Month, but he also wants them to have a little fun too.
“It’s a beautiful day, and people enjoy coming out,” Thomas said. “And so I wanted to do something in my community to help bring awareness to heart disease, and for us to live a healthier life, to get our exercise and just bring this more, bring more awareness to heart disease.”
The 3rd annual Heart Walk was held at the Roger Short Soccer Complex.
And it was a good day to walk and take part in other cardio-healthy activities, like a Zumba class.
Thomas said he enjoys bonding with the community, and getting the word out about a cause is a bonus.
“I want to share that information with others,” Thomas said. “So great. Today, people were out talking here. They’re coming up to me, you know, saying congratulations. Thanks for all the information. This was a great day. It was 73 degrees. The sun was out.
A health fair was also held alongside the walk, featuring vendors promoting healthy living and offering useful information to help stay heart-healthy.
“When I was first diagnosed with congestive heart failure, I didn’t know a lot about it,” Thomas said. “But then, when I had to have heart surgery, I learned a lot about heart surgery and kind of changed my whole lifestyle because that event was a life-changing event. So, I had to change everything. I eat and exercise. And so it was very informational for me.”
On average, about 900,000 people die from heart disease each year in the U.S.
