WASHINGTON — The American Heart Walk took over the National Mall Saturday: 10,000 walkers strong. And among them were heart attack survivors who wanted to get the message out to protect your heart health now, while you can.
Fit Marathoner George Banker seemed to be an unlikely candidate for a heart attack. But in 2015, it happened to him.
And he didn’t recognize what the pain in his right shoulder was until he got to a doctor.
"By the time I got upstairs, I had an excruciating pain across the shoulders and next thing I knew I was laying on the floor - I was in a cold sweat," Banker said.
Banker recovered and later had a heart valve repair. He changed his eating habits and lost 50 pounds.
This past weekend, he completed his 135th marathon.
"The doctor told me, he said there's no guarantees on how long this is going to last," Banker said. "So every now and then I think about that, but I'm not going to be doing anything to rush it along."
That’s what inspires Banker to volunteer at the American Heart Walk.
The event raises money for research into fighting heart disease and studying heart conditions in people of all ages, and for community education.
"We work across the Washington region to support blood pressure activities, to do CPR training and awareness to promote healthy eating and cooking classes," said Soula Antoniou, CEO of the American Heart Association. "And to get everybody moving because moving is so important."