I Wanted To Stay Dead
Today is my birthday. And every year this day arrives with two things at once — gratitude so deep I can barely put it into words, and a weight that takes me right back to the hardest moments of my life.
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Heart & Hound
2,000 miles for the 2,000 young lives lost each year to sudden cardiac arrest.
"I shouldn't be alive. That's why I run."
Heart & Hound is a mission to raise awareness, advocate for prevention, and educate on the tests and screenings that are out there to help prevent these deaths from happening.
I'm Kyle — a heart surgery survivor and endurance athlete running every day in 2026 with my dogs Moose and Maverick.
2518.5
Miles Completed
$45
Money Raised
Too many young lives are lost before anyone knows there's a problem.
Every year, young athletes and young people die from sudden cardiac arrest. Many of these cases show little to no warning signs. Heart & Hound exists to push awareness, advocate for better screening conversations, and help fund access to heart screenings.
2026
Every Day
My Story
I Shouldn't Be Alive. That's Why I Run.
At 22, I went into open heart surgery not fully understanding what was at stake. When I came out the other side — I had seen the other side. My near-death experience didn't just change how I see life. It blew it wide open. It left me chasing something I couldn't name, drowning in questions nobody could answer, and eventually drowning in alcohol trying to quiet them.
What followed was the hardest stretch of my life. Mental health battles. Alcohol abuse. A physical assault that left me with a traumatic brain injury. Weeks off work. A brain that still carries the weight of that night.
But it also led me to the best decision I've ever made — finally sitting down with a therapist who helped me understand everything I had been through. And it led me to running. Not as a hobby. As medicine. As therapy. As the one thing I could control when everything else felt out of control.
Running healed my heart better than any medication. It gave me clarity, structure, and vitality. And then it gave me purpose.
I am over one year sober. I am running 2,000 miles in 2026 — one mile for every young life lost to sudden cardiac arrest this year. I walk a road most people don't choose. That road has given me everything.
"It felt like I opened the gate to healing my heart better than any medication. Something I can control. Something I can do myself. It gave me vitality."
New from Heart & Hound
Heart Survivor Coaching
One-on-one coaching for cardiac survivors and the people who love them. Built by a survivor, for survivors.
Learn MoreLive Mission
Track the mission in real time
2518.5
mi
Total Miles
287
/ 365
Day of Mission
$45
raised
Total Raised
Goal: $10,0000.4%
Every dollar funds youth heart screenings, education, and the mission
Mission Progress2518.5 / 2,000 miles
125.9% complete
Upcoming Event
Fort Thomas Community Heart Screening
September 27, 2026
Rehabilitation and Performance Institute — Fort Thomas, KY
We opened 65 screening slots for young athletes and filled them all in just four days — the fastest fill MCORE has ever recorded. The response was so overwhelming that MCORE opened 5 more spots, bringing the day to 70 screenings in a single event.
70
Screenings
4 Days
To fill 65
MCORE
Partner
Your Impact
Every Gift Moves the Mission Forward
Every dollar funds youth cardiac screening and the pre-screening outreach that connects young people to these life-saving tests. Our advocacy and awareness work is advanced in partnership with organizations like the American Heart Association, One Shot Life Foundation, and the Rehabilitation and Performance Institute — but no donations are directed to those organizations.
$79
One Heart, Screened
Funds a youth cardiac screening for a young person who otherwise may never receive one — the pre-participation look that can catch a hidden heart condition before it becomes sudden cardiac arrest.
$250
More Hearts, Screened
Funds multiple youth pre-screenings and helps put screening opportunities in front of families, schools, and teams who may not know these tests exist or how to access them.
$500
Screen. Advocate. Protect.
Funds youth cardiac screening while supporting advocacy for pre-participation cardiac screening legislation — work we advance in partnership with the American Heart Association and One Shot Life Foundation, so more young people are screened before they ever take the field.
$1,000
Mission-Scale Screening
Funds a full push of youth cardiac screenings and the pre-screening outreach that brings them to communities — done alongside mission partners like the Rehabilitation and Performance Institute, who help us reach more young people with this life-saving check.
All donations fund youth cardiac screening and pre-screening outreach. We do not direct any donations to our mission partners; the American Heart Association, One Shot Life Foundation, and the Rehabilitation and Performance Institute work alongside us on advocacy and awareness, while the screenings themselves are delivered by qualified medical professionals.
The Journey
Follow the journey
Mile 1,000. The Flying Pig Marathon. The Day Everything Changed.
I didn't know exactly when mile 1,000 would hit. What I didn't know was that it would hit me at mile 20 — and that I would spend the final 6.2 miles fighting everything inside me just to hold it together long enough to finish.
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What is sudden cardiac arrest in youth?
Understanding the signs, the stats, and why early screening can save lives before it's too late.
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Fort Thomas Runner Uses Second Chance to Champion Youth Heart Health
LINK nky covers Kyle's story — from open-heart surgery at 22 to running 2,000 miles in 2026 to fund cardiac screenings for young athletes.
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The Crew
They Don't Know What a Bad Day Is. That's Why I Need Them.
Moose and Maverick don't know about open heart surgery. They don't know about near-death experiences, TBIs, or rock bottoms. They just show up. Every single morning. No excuses. No bad days. No days off.
That consistency saved me before I even knew I needed saving.
These two have run every mile of this mission by my side. They were there before I got sober. They were there after the assault. They were there on the days I didn't want to get out of bed, let alone run. They didn't give me a choice — and I am grateful for it every single day.
Moose and Maverick are not pets who come along for the run. They are co-founders of this mission. They represent what this whole thing is built on — showing up, no matter what, for the ones who are counting on you.
We just ran a 50k together. All three of us. 31 miles. 10 hours. On May 3rd we ran the Flying Pig Marathon. And we will keep running until this mission is done.
Work With Us
Partner with Heart & Hound
We partner with brands, organizations, and companies aligned with health, endurance, dogs, and prevention.
Help prevent the next life lost
Every dollar funds a heart screening. Every share spreads the word.