Thank you to Joyce Prater for sharing the following personal story. Read her inspiring journey:
TEAM BOB is in honor of my husband, Bob, who passed away suddenly in 2021 as the result of a sudden cardiac event. While I searched and could not find meaning in his death, I found meaning in his life. I thought about how he lived his life, how he loved his family and how he would want us to live our lives without him. Finding meaning in his life meant doing something to help remember him with more love than pain and to move forward in a way that would honor him.
This is the second year that TEAM BOB has participated in the Southern DE Heart Walk. I wanted to stoke interest in the work of the AHA and the Heart Walk and in TEAM BOB. I wanted to recruit new walkers and hopefully more donations. So, I started a TEAM BOB Facebook page and reconnected with friends all over the country. I saw an opportunity to involve more of our friends with TEAM BOB. Thus, the idea of “Walking with TEAM BOB”.
The first person I asked to create a sign was in Hawaii. Her response was so quick and so positive it made me realize that I wasn’t alone in wanting to remember and honor Bob and it energized me to ask others. So, beginning with this first request, “Walking with TEAM BOB” signs had been seen in Hawaii, London, New York, Florida, Chicago, Charleston, Philly, Rehoboth Beach, Cape May, Lewes and Wilmington, DE.
I’m so appreciative of everyone who took the time to make a TEAM BOB sign and send me a picture. I am thankful to the members of TEAM BOB and everyone who donated. And I’m especially grateful to the AHA’s Southern DE Heart Walk for helping me find meaning with TEAM BOB.