The Twin Cities Heart Walk this Saturday

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A tradition of hope and healing will be back at Target Field this weekend when the annual Heart Walk takes place this Saturday.   

In the crowd, there will be many survivors like James Thiemann. In 2011, James was out for a run in Howard Lake, Minnesota, when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest due to low electrolytes in his system. A passerby called 911 and a retired firefighter performed CPR.   

He had less than 2% chance of surviving. After six months in a coma, James woke up and the hard work began. He has gone through many surgeries and a lot of rehab.  His devoted girlfriend and now wife, Rachael Sands, always by his side. "Every day we are so thankful for good health and happiness."  

In the last 12 years, the two have shared many adventures and blessings together. They now have a 2-year-old daughter named Gracey. They’ll all be at the Heart Walk taking steps in the survivor walk portion of the event.    

"I just want to inspire anyone with differing abilities to not hold back.  And just go for everything you want to do in life," says Rachael.

They’ve also written a book that displays their 12 years of social media posts. It’s called "Everyday Blessings" and all the proceeds go to the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children.

The Twin Cities Heart Walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 20.