COLUMBIA, S.C. — Segra Park welcomed hundreds of people to its annual Midlands Heart Walk on Saturday morning - a time to come together for many and an event of profound meaning for others.
Lasandra Teixeira said she never takes life's simple joys for granted, like time with friends and walking in the park. This weekend, Lasandra's walk had a lot more heart.
"I'm medicated to do this walk, and I'm just going to take it slow," Teixeira said. "Having tachycardia - one, it empowers me just to show up and just try to live the most regular life that I can live and pay attention to my body. I just want to show up and try."
Hosted by the American Heart Association, this year's Heart Walk celebrated 100 years of partnership between the Midlands and the national organization. The Heart Walk promotes awareness, remembrance, and never-missing-a-beat to educate people about maintaining heart health.
Maranda Williams, the director of marketing and communications for the American Heart Association - South Carolina, attended and helped plan the yearly walk because the issue at the heart of it all has impacted her personally.
"I am a survivor of heart disease and, for me coming in and seeing everyone, I personally love to see the support we have as survivors," Williams said. "Once you survive heart disease, every day is making a decision that is going to help better your life and improve your overall quality of life."