After returning home, Harper got her
stitches out two weeks later and put on
weight like crazy. By May, she was off all
medication with no restrictions. Harper is
strong and fully able to run, play, eat any and
all foods, and is learning new things every
day. In the future, she will have to follow up
with her cardiologist every six months, but
that’s certainly nothing to hold her back. She’s
physically and developmentally right on track
for her age, thriving and spreading happiness
to all who know her story. “She’s the kind
of kid who can take a room by storm,” said
Rachel. Considering how far she’s come, even
those toddler moments are easily overlooked.
After the reality set in that Harper was going
to be fine, Rachel decided to give back
andvolunteer to help with the annual Heart
Ball, the largest fundraising event for the
WashingtonCounty/Mon Valley Division
of the American Heart Association (AHA).
The event coordinators heard Harper’s story
and invited her to be one of the spokespeople
for the event. “We were very honored by
being asked to speak at the ball. She’s the
reason I am so passionate about raising
money for the American Heart Association,”
said Rachel, who knows first-hand about the
benefits.
According to the AHA, heart disease
remains our country’s number-one killer;
more people die from cardiovascular disease
each year than all other diseases combined.
Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease and
stroke touch the lives of millions of people
every day and do not discriminate between
male and female, young and old.
The American Heart Association raises
the much-needed funds for research to
develop cutting-edge scientific advances
and innovative educational programs that
can save the lives of our loved ones. The
Heart Ball is one of the premier events for
the American Heart Association both locally
and across the nation, and the Washington/
Mon Valley event has raised over $1.5 million
to support the AHA mission to save lives
by helping people stay well and get well, by
finding cures and fighting back.
The Washington/Mon Valley Heart Ball
is now in its 11th year and has a goal of
raising $225,000 in 2014. For every dollar
raised locally, the AHA will match $3.
Money raised here, stays here, funding many
projects, programs and services that make
the Pittsburgh region one of the top in the
country for the best medical procedures,
research, and patient care. Although she can’t
quite talk yet, Harper is an ideal spokesperson
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