HURRICANE HEART WALK High School Students Walk To Support Heart Patients
Reported by: Darrah Wilcox
Web Producer: Darrah Wilcox
Reported: May. 4, 2012 4:24 PM EDT
Updated: May. 4, 2012 6:12 PM EDT
Eyewitness News Photo
Hurricane
, Putnam County
, West Virginia
Nearly 200 Hurricane High students took to the track Friday afternoon, walking for a healthier heart.
P.E. Teacher Perry Estep, who has had two heart attacks, started the walk at the middle school several years ago, and continued the tradition when he started working at the high school. "The kids love it. The kids love it. You know, a lot of times our adolescents get a bad rep but the kids that are out here today are kids with golden hearts," he says,
Senior Drew Lawrence says, "It's a good cause. I've know coach Estep he's been a coach for me for a long time now. Heart disease affected him. It's a big deal to him, and I've very close to him. It's just for a good cause."
Estep has had two heart attacks himself, and his parents also suffered from heart disease. "Heart disease in my family runs rampant, and I will forever be involved with it since my dad's heart attack in 1981, I've dedicated my whole life to the American Heart Assocation."
Now, he has even more reasons to want to help. His two-year-old granddaughter Berklee is also a heart survivor. Estep explains, "She'll be coming off her medicine in July and we'll all be holding our breath and hoping that she doesn't need medicine any more and that she's outgrown her condition."
He'll continue to put his heart into helping not only his family, but many others by giving back each year.
It's the second year for the walk at HHS. Last year they raised about $2,500 and were hoping to surpass that this year.
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Darrah Wilcox
