MORENO VALLEY>>The American Heart Association’s Inland Empire Division hosted its annual Inland Empire Heart & Stroke Walk recently at Rancho Jurupa Park, where thousands of people laced up their sneakers and made lifesaving strides. Among the participants included Emma Torres and her family. Torres is a 5-year-old who was born with a severe heart defect. Right after being born, Torres needed CPR to stay alive. Tests showed she had a heart defect and a few hours after her birth, she had open-heart surgery. For the first month of her life, her mom could not touch her and she was as close to death several times. Thanks to her resilience and modern medicine, she lives with her other two siblings and parents, Kacie and Alejandro Torres, in Corona. Torres is doing well, but she needs close medical supervision. The Heart & Stroke Walk is an annual tradition that brings the community together to raise awareness and funds to fight heart disease and stroke, the leading killers in the United States, including the Inland Empire. Bob Hicks, shareholder at Gresham Savage, is the chair of the event, whose goal is to raise $525,000 for the fight against heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. “Someone dies from cardiovascular disease every 39 seconds in the United States and congenital cardiovascular defects are the most common cause of infant death from birth defects,” Hicks said. The day’s main events included the non-competitive 5-kilometer Walk and 1-mile Survivor Path. Other highlights included a Health and Wellness Expo, a Survivor Lounge, Kids Zone featuring games and educational information promoting heart health and top fundraisers.

Survivor Walks at 2016 Inland Empire Heart Walk