Heather Lucas

Doing it for Doris

This September, I’m walking 90 km in support of Heart & Stroke, in honour of my late grandmother, Doris. ❤️

I lost my grandma last year, just a few days after her 92nd birthday. She was the closest person in the world to me, and so much of the good in my life is because of her. I miss her more than I can put into words.

If there was one thing my grandma believed in, it was staying active. She always said that keeping moving was what allowed her to remain strong and independent well into her 90s and she truly lived by it. She curled, lawn bowled, line danced, did tai chi and went to seniors’ yoga classes. Even at 90, she had a knee replacement and kept going. She was, without question, the strongest woman I knew.

Her connection to heart health makes this challenge especially meaningful to me.

In 2015, just a week after we returned from a family vacation to Cuba, my grandma’s heart stopped and she suddenly collapsed. In an incredible twist of fate, an off-duty paramedic happened to be at the Starbucks across the street. He performed CPR and saved her life. She went on to receive a pacemaker at 82, and we were lucky enough to have another decade with her.

Those extra years meant everything. More birthdays. More holidays. More memories. Meeting 2 of her great granddaughters. More time with the woman who meant so much to our family.

So walking 90 km this September feels like the perfect way to honour her, by moving my body, something she believed so strongly in, while raising money for a cause that gave our family more precious time with her.

If you’d like to support my walk and donate to Heart & Stroke, I would be incredibly grateful. Every donation, no matter the amount, means so much.

Thank you for helping me honour an extraordinary woman who lived a very full 92 years and taught me what strength really looks like. ❤️

Granny, every kilometre is for you. ❤️