Bruce Hanna of Mount Morris doesn’t let his heart condition stop him from walking in local 5K races. Photo by Tony D'Imperio.

MOUNT MORRIS, NY — Bruce Hanna decided it was time to do something about his diagnosis: Ischemic cardiomyopathy. So, he started walking — a lot.

This condition results when the arteries that bring blood and oxygen to the heart muscle are blocked; this may be caused by a buildup of cholesterol and plaque. Over time, the heart does not work well, becoming more difficult for it to fill with and pump blood. This is a common cause of congestive heart failure, and people with this condition may at one time have had a heart attack.

Hanna, 65, says that about 20 years ago he “got a virus that went into my heart and lungs. There was a lot of pain and a feeling that it was closing in on me.” In 2007, doctors implanted a pacemaker — defibrillator in Bruce’s heart. The device constantly monitors his heart rhythm, and when it detects a very fast, abnormal heart beat, it delivers a shock to the heart muscle, causing it to resume normal rhythm.

When doctors suggested that walking would be good for him, Bruce took them up on it. He walks about three miles a day on Mount Morris streets. “I like Stanley Street; it’s nice ‘n long,” he remarked.

Last month, Bruce did three 5K walks. On Sept. 3, he finished the Ramon Rocha 5K in 40.58 minutes. Livingston—Wyoming ARC sponsored the event in memory of the late Dr. Ramon Rocha. Bruce walked the Oak Tree 5K in 39.52 minutes on Sept. 6. A 5K walk in Letchworth Park on Sept. 12 put the month’s total in Bruce’s record book. He did this one in 41.03 minutes, with 180 paces per minute.

See complete story in our Oct. 22 print edition.