SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Krista Singleton of Spanish Fort walks because she lost two grandparents and an aunt to heart disease.

Bobby McCullom of Loxley walks because his father died of a stroke at the age of 61.

Chuck Keller of Daphne walks because he had his first heart attack at 51 and his second at 56.

Singleton, McCullom and Keller are only three of more than 2,000 of local residents expected to join their families, friends and co-workers in support of heart and stroke survivors during the American Heart Association’s Start! Heart Walk at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center Saturday.

Nicole Thurston Abdou, communications directorfor the national association’s Greater Southeast Affiliate, said the event was created to inspire “walkers to step toward a stronger, healthier life for themselves and their community.”

Saturday’s local fundraising goal of $190,000 will help fund continued research and medical advances responsible for helping thousands of people each year call themselves survivors, Abdou said.

In fact, more than $473 million was invested by the association in 2005-06—the most recent figures available—toward advances such as improved CPR, pacemakers, bypass machines, the heart-lung machine, surgical techniques to repair heart defects and the availability of life extending drugs such as clot busters.

According to the association, diseases of the heart and stroke are the nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers and combined with all other cardiovascular diseases claim more than 870,000 lives nationwide each year.

Some 450 Heart Walk events across the country raised more than $90 million in 2009, and local efforts had already garnered more than $90,000 as of press time.