COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Midlands Heart Walk returns after two years of going virtual due to the pandemic. This three mile walk aims to promote physical and mental health, bringing awareness to survivors of heart disease and stroke.
As the father of a survivor, Greg Smith says this mission hits close to home.
“They found a hole in her heart and hoped that it would close and it didn’t so when she was five years old she actually had heart surgery to repair the hole in her atrium," said Smith.
Smith says today, his 26-year-old daughter Lizzie is as healthy as ever and they've been taking part in the walk for the past 23 years.
“We started doing the heart walk to celebrate our survivor and our daughter and other survivors," he said.
The Midlands Heart Walk takes place at Saturday, March 26, at Segra Park at 8 a.m.
This year's heart walk is sponsored by Prisma Health. It is led by Richland County School district 2 superintendent Dr. Baron Davis and First Citizens Bank area executive James Bennett.
The funds raised from the Midlands Heart Walk will go toward research, advocacy and CPR training at the American Heart Association. People can register here.