Last Sunday, my mom, sister, Fur Face, and I headed to Golden Gate Park bright and early (6am) to volunteer for and participate in the Pulmonary Hypertension Association‘s first O2 Breathe Walk in San Francisco. I found the opportunity while researching health-related volunteering opportunities in San Francisco and asked my family if they’d like to volunteer and do the 5K walk to raise awareness and funding for PH. My mom was diagnosed with PH in in 2007. PH causes the tiny arteries in your lungs to shrivel, making your heart enlarged from working overtime to pump blood through your lungs.

We often run the Race Against PH at Stanford in November, and I’m very happy to have stumbled upon another opportunity to participate in a cause that hits so close to home.

When we arrived, we were the only volunteers there apart from PHA’s staff; we helped set up all the tables, decorations, and food. After I spent about an hour registering participants and checking people in (the event was free), we began the 5K loop in Golden Gate Park. I had originally wanted to run, but this event ended up being a casual walk. It felt weird walking in Golden Gate Park after having ran so many races and training runs in the space.

Following the walk, Jesse met up with us at B Star Bar, an off-shoot of Burma Superstar, our favorite restaurant in San Francisco. B Star and Burma Superstar never disappoint!