Editor's note: Last month the Sun Devil women's basketball program announced the launch of 'Keep The Beat,' an awareness campaign designed to help people of all ages have a better understanding of what it means to live a heart-healthy lifestyle. Below, ASU head women's basketball Charli Turner Thorne reveals more about why this campaign is so important to her.
Ever since we announced our #KeepTheBeat heart health campaign in early August I've had several people approach me to express their appreciation for what we are doing to create awareness about cardiovascular health.
I wanted to take this opportunity to give you the backstory on how this campaign came to be. As you may recall when we announced this I referenced how loved ones both in my family and within our program had been affected by cardiovascular ailments.
It has been almost nine years since former Sun Devil WBB player Aubree Johnson's brother, Jordan, died in his sleep at the young age of 15 on a road trip with our team. He had a condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). Jordan's death had a profound effect on everyone in our program. It did not seem possible that this could happen to a young man, who, like others in his family, was a great athlete and showed no outward signs of anything being remotely wrong.
More recently, the importance of heart health hit very close to home on two other occasions. Last year my husband Will suffered a heart attack and now has two stents as a result. Then, last May, our former player Rebecca Tobin – the same Rebecca Tobin that our fans saw help lead us to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 – went into cardiac arrest while traveling with the Phoenix Mercury. Becca now has a pacemaker, and I personally have a whole new appreciation for how pervasive cardiovascular diseases are in the United States.
With all that said, you could say it was perfect timing when Kathy Young, who is a vice president for the American Heart Association and an ASU women's basketball fan, reached out to us about partnering with them for a heart health awareness campaign.
This is probably personal to all of us as cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States. As a mother of three sons who have inherited at a minimum a predisposition for heart disease and a leader of young adult women, I am asking for your help! If it isn't already, do not wait until it becomes all too personal for you. Help us spread the word of how important physical activity, healthy eating, and regular check-ups are to "keeping our beat" and enjoying long productive lives.
Sun Devil Athletics and numerous groups and leaders in the community are joining us as they roll out messages about heart-health awareness through social media. Join us today by tweeting out to @SunDevilWBB on how you #KeepTheBeat!