Former competitive figure skater and entrepreneur Toshawa Andrews has suffered 11 heart attacks in three years. The 37-year-old wife and mother says her heart is slowly dying as a result of the attacks.
Durward Davis, who made the final seven in the third season of the BET Gospel sing-off show “Sunday Best,” progressed from a diagnosis of pneumonia to having a heart attack, and the work-a-holic divinity student had to set aside his fears to find out what was making him sick.
Both Andrews and Davis will participate in the 21st annual Los Angeles County Heart Walk Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
The program will include a 5k walk/run, free hands-only CPR demonstrations, blood pressure screenings and post-walk performances by local talent.
Blacks are especially at high risk for heart disease and stroke. Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death for African American men and women, killing nearly 100,000 annually. About 44.8 percent of non-Hispanic Black men and 47.3 percent of non-Hispanic Black women age 20 and older have cardiovascular diseases, according to the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
