Abby Winthrop is a walking, talking reason the community should support an American Heart Association event this weekend.
Abby, who has congenital heart disease, will be the keynote speaker during the 34th annual Iredell County Heart Ball.
The theme of this year's event, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Statesville Country Club, is "Paint the Town Red." The gala is a fundraising event for the association.
Organizers hope to raise $100,000 to fund heart disease- and stroke-related research.
"Not a lot of people know a lot about heart disease," said Abby, 14. "It's important to raise money so they can research and help people, especially children."
There will be a silent auction, live auction, dinner and musical entertainment during the gala, which aims to unite local community and business leaders in an effort to lead the battle against stroke and heart disease.
Abby, an eighth-grader at East Iredell Middle School, has had congenital heart disease since she was an infant.
She has a pacemaker and defibrillator that will slow down her heart if it beats too rapidly, preventing her from having a heart attack. She recently had a catheterization.
Abby credits organizations like the AHA for raising awareness and finding treatments for her condition.
"If I was born a couple years earlier they wouldn't have known what to do with me," she said.
Abby said she talks about her health condition to her friends, but has never discussed it with adults.
"I'm excited to tell people how I feel about having heart disease," she said. "I want to help as much as I can.
"I feel this is a way I can really change something."
AHA spokeswoman Sarah Fedele said the event is the best way to get the community involved in addressing heart disease.
It is an opportunity for business leaders to focus on what they can do to assist their employees.
"Every time we have an event, we raise awareness and vital funds," Fedele said. "It's a great opportunity for us to try and make a difference in Statesville." To see more of the Statesville Record & Landmark or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.statesville.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Statesville Record & Landmark, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Statesville Record & Landmark, N.C.