Meleah Jensen was among the 6,000 people who took part Saturday in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk.
Holding a cane in her right hand and with friends around her, Jensen, who almost is completely blind, finished the 5K walk in 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Jensen, an elementary education junior, has walked in several other races before, but she thinks none of them are as important as this one.
“This event is great because it raises money to fight heart disease,” Jensen said.
The Heart Walk is an annual event that raises awareness of heart stroke and heart disease, said Roland Toupes, Heart Walk chairman.
The 10th Annual Heart Walk started at the steps of the State Capitol and led walkers through the streets of downtown Baton Rouge.
The AHA raised money to help finance cardiovascular and stroke research, said Coletta Barrett, the association’s chairman of the board.
Recent medical school graduates benefit most from the Heart Walk. The AHA provides these doctors with “seed grants” to help get their careers started, Barrett said.
“If we don’t continue to support new scientists we won’t have new researchers in the future,” Barrett said.
The AHA raised $360,000 this year from event donors. Several LSU groups donated, including Gamma Beta Phi.
Duy Nguyen, Gamma Beta Phi president, said his group set a goal of $500 for the event and because of the large member turnout they were able to raise $2,000.
This was the first time Gamma Beta Phi participated in this walk, and Nguyen said his group will “definitely do it again next year.”
      According to Kara Still, AHA senior regional director, the real heroes during the race were the people who have survived a heart or stroke attack. Survivors wore red hats during the day to show their accomplishments.
Bob Barrett, 76, was among those wearing a red hat. The retired East Baton Rouge teacher and coach had bypass surgery in April 1994 and said the heart surgery added 10 years to his life.
“It’s great to see this many people have survived. I am very fortunate to be here and wear a red hat,” he said.
Clay Henry, a Subway celebrity, also was on hand to speak of the importance of exercising to prevent heart disease and stroke.
“The event is extremely important because it promotes a healthy eating lifestyle and shows what exercising can do,” Henry said.