Richard Martin walked in the 2024 Greater Washington Region Heart Walk to get out in the community and join his wife and her colleagues at VHC Health in supporting an important cause. When he returned in 2025, the mission behind the event was much more personal.
Richard is a father of four, a grandfather, a golfer and a decades-long sales and marketing professional from Northern Virginia. In recent years, there had been early rumblings that something might have been wrong with his health: warnings from his physician about needing to lose weight and the discovery of a heart murmur. But at the urging of his wife of nearly 40 years, Richard began taking a more serious look at his heart health. And it set him on a journey to unite his family, friends and colleagues around a mission to raise awareness about heart disease.
After learning of the heart murmur, Richard went to a cardiologist for a stress test, blood work and additional tests. Further testing revealed the urgency of the situation: Richard would need open heart surgery, the first surgery in his life. The cause was multiple blocked arteries.
As he recovered, Richard came to some important realizations.
“I realized that your heart won’t always tell you something is wrong,” Richard reflected. “You need to trust doctors and health experts, prioritize healthy habits and have the mindset that everything will be okay if you take the right course of action.”
Reducing stress has also become a big priority.
His family played a major role in his recovery and discovery. His daughters pitched in to help with cooking and caring for his home and dog, strengthening their bond. Richard and one of his daughters set a goal of taking a six-mile walk together in Los Angeles. But he also learned for the first time that heart disease ran in his family. This revealed an opportunity for more transparent conversations about heart health.
“I realized that men don’t talk to each other enough about our health, but this creates an opportunity, especially for Black men,” said Richard, recognizing that African Americans are especially affected by heart disease. Richard is approaching this opportunity from a unique angle by reaching men where they are: at events like golf tournaments. Richard is a longtime golfer and a supporter of the United Black Golfers Association. He hopes to team up with cardiologists and medical professionals to attend golf events across the country and deliver an important message to other men: talk to each other, learn from Richard’s story, and take charge of your health.
On November 1, 2025, Richard, his wife, kids and the VHC Health team came together again at the Greater Washington Region Heart Walk, but this time, his connection to them was a little different. Some of the same professionals he walked with at the 2024 walk ended up being his rehab clinicians, helping him recover after open-heart surgery. This time, Richard was walking alongside them as a survivor and ally.
Richard had one more special guest along for the walk, his dog, Bentley. The Heart Walk concluded with its annual Pet Parade – a spirit-lifting program onstage where walkers show off their furry companions. Richard and Bentley took the stage, and Richard took the mic to share an important victory: “I’m here walking today as a triple bypass survivor.”
Sign up for the 2026 Greater Washington Region Heart Walk here.