Heart-felt fundraiser

HANNAH Pearl says the highlight of organising the local Two Feet and a Heartbeat Charity Walk has been meeting so many people with Heartkids connections and hearing their stories.

The Geelong mum has also found a special connection with the local business owners impacted by COVID who will be joining the charity’s community market, with many sharing both a heart story and lockdown story.

“This whole journey has been about the people I’ve met on the way, and on the day, it will bring all these stories together,” she said.

Hannah has spent two to three hours a day for the past two-and-a-half months’ planning for the Two Feet and a Heartbeat Geelong Charity Walk and Community Market on October 10.

The walk will start from Armstrong Boulevard, Mount Duneed, next to Bunjils Nest District Park and Club Armstrong, with the community market featuring food vans, an animal farm, market stalls, live music and a raffle.

The event is a four-kilometre walk in honour of the four lives lost each week to congenital heart disease, and people can choose to do eight kilometres in honour of the eight babies born each week in Australia with heart disease – or two kilometres if that’s achievable.

There are also many other ways to get involved and help Hannah reach the fundraiser’s $20,000 target, through online donations and a virtual walk.

However, Hannah and husband Aidan are encouraging as many people as possible to join the walk, support the market and take this opportunity to be part of a community event.

Hannah and Aidan’s daughter Madison, who was born with a congenital heart condition, was the ambassador for the annual Heartkids fundraiser walk in Geelong in 2019 and when the charity asked for a volunteer to plan this year’s event, Hannah raised her hand.

Madison and her twin sister Sophia are four, turning five, and while Madison has already undergone three major operations, the family already knows there will more surgery required at some stage.

“She has now been diagnosed with a narrowing of her bronchial tube, so when she runs around, only one lung is working,” Hannah said.

“We have to prepare for another operation; we’ve been told it will be in her childhood but that could be when she’s 15. I’m hoping it will be when she’s older because when they’re little they don’t understand.

“But we are still really, really lucky.”

Hannah explained that although she had been involved with Heartkids for several years, she was surprised how many people in the community had their own heart story to tell but didn’t know there was a local support group.

“So many people have been touched, nearly all of the stallholders have a story, they all really want to be there,” she said, explaining that some had a personal heart experience, some had lost a child or knew of someone who had.

“On the day there will be a memorial for the Heartkids who are no longer with us, the walk, and the market with 28 stalls without site costs thanks to Villawood donating the piece of land for the market which has to be fenced off because of COVID restrictions. We couldn’t have done it without them,” she said, shouting out to Mike from Villawood for his patience and kindness.

“Market stallholders are all donating back either a dollar value of what they sell, or a percentage, and there will Club Activation bring the event to life and Vital Heart providing free heart checks for the parents.”

Stallholders will also offer candles, slices, cakes, dried flowers, fresh flowers, and coffee, along with roving entertainers, the local CFA truck, jumping castle and face painting at the event.

Sponsors include Connectel, Avenue Five real estate, Villawood Properties, Kerr’s Hire, and Darren Cheeseman.

HeartKids is the only national not-for-profit organisation solely focused on supporting and advocating for all people impacted by childhood heart disease, one of the largest causes of infant death in Australia.

Heartkids seeks to give every child a fighting chance of leading a long and fulfilling life and be recognised as the leader in the fight to conquer childhood onset heart disease in Australia.

To register for the Two Feet and a Heartbeat Charity Walk at Mount Duneed or find out how to donate, visit the twofeetheartbeat website.