Hi. My name is Grayson Deal and I am currently hiking the Appalachian Trail. There are many reasons that compelled me to begin this journey. In 2009, I had Heart Ablation Surgery to correct the irregular arrhythmia pattern of my ticker. This irregularity caused me to black out during a pick-up basketball game with my friends. When I awoke my heart was beating at 318 beats per minute, and my head ached from the concussive impact with hardwood floor. After being rushed to the hospital in the back of an ambulance, I was told by the Doctor that I would need surgery. On December 4th, 2009 I underwent the surgery at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. On Dec. 5th, I decided I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail.
This experience taught me a great deal. At the time, I was completing my second year as a Business Development Representative for a major software company in Greenville, SC. I am extremely thankful for this job, it taught me a great deal and introduced me to some great friends. But now, I wanted to apply this education towards something closer to my heart. This is where the vision for the Hike 4 Heart Foundation started to take fruition.
As a kid, I loved to be in the woods. Camping and hiking trips with my Dad were a regular occurrence. We once even created our own hiking trail through the woods that surrounded our house. I guess you could say that I found something special about taking a trip through the vast forestation of trees. Through out my life I've lived in many different areas, but I have always lived within a short drive of the Appalachian Trail. At age twelve, a good friend of mine and mentor took my best friend and me camping on the A.T. at Grayson Highlands in Virginia. This was an awesome experience where I not only learned of this great trail's length, but also what the stars really looked like at night when the city lights are gone. I dreamed of hiking the entire trail as a kid, but until now, it was only a distant dream in the back of my mind.
While laying the hospital bed that December morning, I decided to make this dream a reality. I also concluded that it would be selfish to make this journey alone. I have been given this opportunity to make this childhood dream a reality, and large in part to the successful heart surgery and new perspective gained from the experience. So I decided I would dedicate this kid's dream of Hiking the A.T. to helping advance the research in the medical field pertaining to the heart! So on April 6th, 2011, I took my first steps on the 2,181 mile trail headed north from Georgia to Maine for the Children's Heart Foundation.
I am doing this for myself, to experience what is real and what is truly important in life. But I am also using this opportunity to raise money for the children and their families who are affected by congenital heart problems. Please join me on this journey and help me to raise money for this very worthy cause. Every dollar donated goes directly to advancing the research to finding a cure to eradicate Congenital Heart problems.
Happy Trails!
Grayson Deal
Awesome stuff Grayson!! Keep it up
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