Cinnaminson Man Among Survivors To Celebrate During Upcoming Heart Walk

CINNAMINSON, NJ — This year’s Southern New Jersey Fall Heart Walk will celebrate a Cinnaminson man who survived multiple heart issues, among other survivors. The walk, sponsored by the American Heart Association, will take place at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Activities and the envelope drop-off are slated for 8 a.m., followed by a ceremony at 9 a.m. and the official start of the walk at 9:30 a.m. Participants become eligible for a t-shirt once they raise a minimum of $100.

Matthew Tamburri, of Cinnaminson, is one of the people who will be celebrated during this year’s walk, according to the Burlington County Times. He is a survivor ambassador for the association and American Stroke Association.

Tamburri was born with a misshaped heart and pulmonary stenosis, a thickened valve that does not fully open, and 3 holes in his heart. In April 2012, his heart stopped for 15 minutes and he was put into an induced coma. He then had a defibrillator, pacemaker, and ASD closure device implanted.

He suffered head trauma from the stroke episodes and was unable to walk straight from February through August of last year. He walked in last year’s event.

“At 24 years old, I am proud to be a cardiac arrest and stroke survivor,” he said in a letter to Cinnaminson Patch last year. “It is through programs like the Heart Walk that we can help fight these deadly diseases by funding research and education, advocating for better health, improving patient care and reaching at-risk populations.”

For more information on the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, visit www.heart.org. To register for this year’s walk, visit www.2.heart.org.

Patch file photo