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Former University of Texas Football Coach Fred Akers can tell plenty of stories about his legendary battles against the rival Oklahoma Sooners. Starting with his first as Head Coach in 1977, when a third-string quarterback helped engineer a 13-6 win over the second-ranked Sooners, and Akers’ former college teammate, Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer.

“Any time we played Oklahoma, it was always very physical. Players saw it as their championship game,” Akers says. “That kind of emotion always brings out great play.”

But those battles pale in comparison to his fight against a foe common to people across the country—heart disease. Akers is a heart disease survivor, the recipient of quadruple bypass surgery in 2004.

This weekend, as the Longhorns and Sooners prepare to renew their rivalry, Akers will be on hand to fire up his new team, encouraging walkers as Honorary Chair of the American Heart Association 2009 Austin Start! Heart Walk. The event takes place Saturday, October 17th at the Texas State Capitol south grounds. Registration begins at 8:00am, and the Heart Walk at 9:00am.

The annual 5K non-competitive walking event is designed to bring public awareness to physical activity and a heart-healthy lifestyle, while raising the critical dollars needed to fund heart disease and stroke research and educational programs in the Central Texas region. Teams are made up of employees from local companies, along with friends and family members of all ages.

Five years ago, when Akers’ wife Diane was experiencing pain in her chest and arm, he decided he would join her in getting a heart scan. It turns out being a supportive husband saved his life.

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“She checked out fine, but on our way home from the hospital, my cardiologist called me and told me I needed to come back in,” Akers said. “I had to cancel a speaking engagement and I underwent heart surgery the next week.”

“I always tell people that it’s almost impossible to do something good for someone else and not have it benefit you too,” Akers says. “That’s why I’m happy to support the Heart Walk. Because not only is it a celebration of healthy living, but it’s also a vital fundraising event key to furthering the lifesaving mission of the American Heart Association.”

Once again at this year’s Start! Heart Walk, walkers can participate in various activities at three Start! Heart Walk communities: Create Hope, Inspire Change and Celebrate Success. The Create Hope village will include a survivor gallery, tribute area, health screenings and information booth. In the Inspire Change village, participants can sign up to join American Heart Association advocacy efforts to enact heart-healthy legislation, and learn about initiatives for children, including Jump Rope For Heart and empowerME. Event sponsors, top fundraisers and survivors will gather to celebrate their achievements in the Celebrate Success area.

The younger set can play in the Kids Zone, with face painting, crafts, and a moonwalk, and a separate area for pets will feature giveaways and watering stations for “man’s best friend.” Food and live music from “Red Alert” will also be a part of the event.

Heart disease and stroke rank as the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of Americans. These and other cardiovascular diseases kill more than 870,000 Americans each year and cost the nation more than $403 billion in direct and indirect costs. In Texas, cardiovascular disease accounted for nearly 50,000 deaths in 2006, the last year for which such statistics are available.

Those numbers are decreasing, in part due to American Heart Association-funded research, which has contributed to important discoveries such as CPR, life-extending drugs, pacemakers, bypass surgery, the heart-lung machine and surgical techniques to repair heart defects.

SUBWAY® restaurants, Healthy Choice® and AstraZeneca® are the national presenting sponsors of the American Heart Association Start! initiative. The Start! Heart Walk is locally sponsored by Heart Hospital of Austin, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, Qualcomm, Greystar, St. David’s Healthcare Partnership, St. Jude Medical, Randall’s, IBC Bank and Yellow Cab, as well as KVUE-TV, KASE 101, 96.7 KISS FM, The River 102.3 and The Greensheet.

For information on participating in the Start! Heart Walk, Austin area residents can call the American Heart Association local office at 512-433-7220 or visit www.AustinHeartWalk.org.

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About the American Heart Association:

Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart diseases and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases, claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2006-07 the association invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit americanheart.org.