Virginia woman ‘celebrates’ lifestyle change at heart walk

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — More than 2,000 people attended the American Heart Association’s Richmond Heart Walk in Innsbrook, Glen Allen on Saturday.

WTVR CBS 6 anchor Jennien Samuels spoke about how heart health impacts her family.

Attendees like Alicia Pope were able to relate to her mother’s sudden passing.

She came to support a cause, find community, and honor a loved one.

“This means so much more to me than just taking a walk,” Pope explained.

In fact, the loss of her mother caused Pope to evaluate her own health.

“When you have kids, you tend to focus all your attention on them and do everything for them,” Pope said. “I realized I had to do something on my own to be better for him.”

WTVR

That has led to a major change in Pope’s lifestyle over the past two years.

“I realized I needed to do something right, and then I also talked to my doctor and made a plan and made sure I was consistent,” she said.

Because of these changes, the American Heart Association named Pope the recipient of the Central Virginia Lifestyle Transformation Award.

The Pope said he was “very honored and proud.” “I know she’s smiling at me today. It’s a wonderful day. I know she’s very happy,” Pope said.

WTVR

The Heart Walk encouraged people to check their lifestyle and learn how to save lives. Participants had their blood pressure measured for free and learned manual CPR.

The event raised more than $655,000 to support people with heart-related conditions in our community.

Click here to learn more or donate to the American Heart Association.

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