AHA Heart Walk is this weekend

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September 30, 2009

By HEATHER PYLES, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Wed Sep 30, 2009, 08:11 PM EDT

It’s been nearly a year since Kim Hall first found out about the Lake Cumberland Area Heart Walk, an annual fundraising event meant to raise money for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Hall knew the cause was close to her family’s hearts — literally. Hall’s two young children, Austin and Aubrey, were both born with congenital heart defects and had undergone major open heart surgeries to repair those defects in the earliest stages of their lives.

This year, as the 2009 Lake Cumberland Area Start! Heart Walk approaches, Austin, now 4, and Aubrey, now 2, are a bit older, and to Hall’s relief, well on their way to being healthy children.

Austin was born with a mild supravalvar pulmonary stenosis, which means one or more of the three leaflets located in the pulmonary valve of the heart that open in the direction of blood flow and close to prevent blood from flowing backward are defective or too thick, or the leaflets may not separate from each other properly. If that occurs, the valve does not open correctly, and blood flow is restricted.

It wasn’t until Austin was nine months old when doctors discovered that he also suffered from severe supravalvar aortic stenosis — a narrowing of the aorta — which required open heart surgery.

That surgery took place the day after Austin’s first birthday. Since then, Austin has received a clean bill of health, and Hall said the young boy loves to participate in sports, especially football.

Aubrey was born with several congenital heart defects, including pulmonary stenosis and aortic stenosis.

Aubrey underwent her first surgery when she was just two weeks old. To date she has had seven surgeries to correct her congenital heart defects — and she’s due for a check-up so doctors can measure her progress on Oct. 29.

“She’s just a normal two-year-old,” Hall said about Aubrey.

Aubrey is limited as to what activities she can participate in, but Hall said the little girl is as tenacious as any two-year-old.

“You name it, she’s in it,” Hall said.

Aubrey’s normalcy means even more to Hall after being told by doctors when the girl was very young that she would most likely have developmental delays. Those have yet to manifest, and Hall said Aubrey is progressing normally.

“There’s not a thing wrong, thank goodness,” Hall said.

Hall emphasized that more surgeries will be needed for Aubrey. And Hall knows her children’s health — and their future health — has everything to do with the American Heart Association /American Stroke Association and their contributions toward the fight against heart disease and stroke. According to information provided by the non-profit group, heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans, and stroke is the #3 killer of Americans.

Each day, approx-imately 38 Kentuckians lose their lives to heart disease or stroke. Congenital heart defects are also the #1 birth defect in children, according to the organization.

Organizers with the heart walk, scheduled for this Saturday at 9 a.m., hope the event will bring in at least $52,000 for local education, advocacy and research. Last year’s walk saw more than 50 teams.

“I’m really excited,” Hall said. “ I’m hoping to see a huge turnout.”

The Heart Walk is part of the American Heart Association’s Start! movement. Start! is a workplace walking program designed to help people get more physical activity during the business day, as 30 minutes of walking each day can reduce heart disease and stroke risk factors.

The American Heart Association is dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers and all other cardiovascular diseases

Those who want to get more information about Start! or the Start! Heart Walk, or participate may call the American Heart Association at (859) 278-1632.

Those who want to participate in the walk should be at Somerset High School at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. A $255 donation is required to walk, and walkers can choose a one-mile or a three-mile walk.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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