Walking for Heart Health

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On February 26th, an International Student Association (ISA) team joined MUSC organizations to walk for a very important cause - heart health. Comprised of 14 MUSC students, staff, faculty, and alumni from around the world, the ISA team hopes to raise awareness through participation in the 2022 American Heart Association Lowcountry Heart Walk. The International Student Association first participated in the Lowcountry Heart Walk in 2010. The event last year was virtual due to the pandemic, however, this year’s event took place at beautiful Riverfront Park in North Charleston. The ISA team unveiled the new student-designed “MUSC International Student Association” banner for the event.

The work of the American Heart Association is critical for every community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data for the United States, one person dies every 36 seconds from cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is also the leading cause of death for men and women of most racial and ethnic groups.

The MUSC International Student Association team did not simply walk to support hearth health and education. The participants also raised nearly $500 to support the American Heart Association’s research.

  

Two of our ISA team members discuss the importance of the event:

“I joined the Heart Walk this year to promote a healthy lifestyle. Walking 30 minutes a day will give you a healthy and wealthy heart, as it will save money by preventing long-term heart-related problems. After the Federal Government, the American Heart Association is a major research supporter funding current and future heart-related disorders and diseases. It's my half-cents to support the effort of the American Heart Association.”

Randhir Makkar
MUSC Alum
ISA Heart Walk team member

“As I got the email about low country heart walk, I became curious and wanted to explore the information on aims and activities of these events organized by American Heart Association. While I was searching on the internet, a photo of ‘MUSC Little Hearts’ touched my heart. Since I wished for honoring the strength of these brave little hearts as well as being part of their celebration of health, I joined the team MUSC ISA for 2022 Heart Walk."

Fatima Mukti Roushney
Ph.D. Student, College of Graduate Studies
ISA Heart Walk team member

MUSC participants contributed $74,199.01 to support the American Heart Association. The 2022 Lowcountry Heart Walk event raised a total of $1,024,372.23 with donations funding heart disease research and education. These educational programs impact communities across the country. Since February 2018, the American Heart Association has reported a 15.1% reduction in deaths associated with heart disease and a 13% reduction from strokes. In addition, 22 million people are trained each year in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).