BOWIE, Md. — A local family is turning their devastating loss into a movement to advocate for others.
This upcoming weekend the Edwards family of Bowie, Maryland is hosting a community walk and run to raise awareness about the seriousness of cardiovascular disease, especially in the African-American community.
Camryn Edwards is a first-year medical student at Howard University's College of Medicine. She lost her father to heart disease when he was just 41 years old.
"In 2014 our father, Deron Edwards passed away suddenly from heart disease while on family vacation. He left behind my siblings and I, my mother, and a host of family and friends who loved him dearly," Camryn said. "This year marks the 10th year of his passing and we decided we wanted to do something different to honor his memory and his legacy."
Brandon Edwards says the walk is small step in their advocacy to ensure that no other family suffers the loss that they have.
"We created Strides for Strong Hearts and through that we planned a heart health walk on the 20th of April, 2024 at the Potomac Waterfront Trail at National Harbor," another family member said.
In 2019, African-American men and women were 30% more likely to die from heart disease than their white counterparts. The Edwards family is getting us uplifted as they are working through their continued grief to make sure everyone is aware of the risk factors and dangers of heart disease
By supporting efforts to prevent, diagnose, and treat this killer -- people can participate in the walk and run at the Potomac River Waterfront Park on Saturday. The proceeds will go to the Black Heart Association and the Premature Widows Ministry.
Click here for more information on Strides for Strong Hearts: A Walk/Run for Heart Health Awareness.
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