LeQuanda Askew (X32) has formed a Heart Walk team and is rallying the first shift of the Component Fabrication and Assembly’s (CFA) sheet metal shop to proudly join the movement for heart health.

“My reason for participating in the Heart Walk is very personal,” she said.

Askew grew up watching her mother battle severe heart disease. After years on the transplant list, her mom finally received the call for a new heart in March 2001. Their family believed it was the second chance they had prayed for, but complications took her mother’s life just weeks later. LeQuanda was only 9 years old, and that loss changed her forever.

Heart disease struck again in 2006 when her aunt learned she also needed a transplant. After years of waiting, she received her new heart in March 2024 and this time, the story ended with hope.

Today, her aunt is thriving and enjoying her second chance at life.

These experiences are why the Heart Walk means so much to Askew. She walks in memory of her mom, for the little girl who had to grow up without her and in celebration of her aunt’s renewed life.

Upcoming Heart Walks in Hampton Roads

• Peninsula Heart Walk: Saturday, Oct. 31, Fort Monroe (310 Fenwick Road)
• Southside Heart Walk: Saturday, Nov. 14, Virginia Beach (Mount Trashmore Park, 310 Edwin Drive)

Donate to the 2026 Heart Walk here.

Find more information on the MyNNS Heart Walk site.