The American Heart Association is proud to have Maddie Kellerman, of Westbury, serving as the 2017 Long Island Heart Walk “Red Cape” Ambassador. This year’s Long Island Heart Walk will be taking place on Sunday, Sept. 17, at Jones Beach.
Seven-year-old Kellerman was born with a congenital heart defect and has undergone several surgeries to fix her hypoplastic right heart syndrome. Today she is an active child and she looks forward to participating in the Long Island Heart Walk.
At the Heart Walk, survivors are celebrated. A “Red Cap” is a red baseball cap featuring the American Heart Association logo. “Red Caps” refer to survivors of heart attack, cardiac arrest or heart surgery who wear the red caps as a symbol of their survival while walking in the Heart Walk. “White Caps” will be distributed to stroke survivors the day of the walk. Pediatric cardiovascular disease survivors will receive red super hero capes to acknowledge their courage.
As Red Cape Ambassador for the Long Island Heart Walk, Kellerman will help create awareness about the importance of survivors participating in the event and to create awareness that heart disease and stroke aren’t “just an older man’s diseases.”
Hundreds of survivors from across Long Island participate to show that heart disease and stroke can be beaten. The American Heart Association estimates there are more than 71 million Americans alive with one or more types of cardiovascular disease.
On Sunday, Sept. 17, join the “Red Cape” Ambassador and thousands of other survivors, families and friends from all over Long Island at the Long Island Heart Walk at Jones Beach, Field 5.
For more information about the Long Island Heart Walk taking place on Sunday, Sept. 17 visit www.longislandheartwalk.org.
—Submitted by the American Heart Association
