Shrewsbury – The King brothers of Shrewsbury enjoy Friends With Heart family night at the Worcester Sharks game. Ben (front, center), 13, was born with a complex heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. His mother, Dawn King, founded Friends With Heart, a nonprofit support organization for families of kids with congenital heart disease. Members of the organization and their friends and families participate each year in the Annual American Heart Walk in Worcester to raise awareness about congenital heart disease and raise funds specifically targeted for that form of heart disease. The Sharks family night game was their kickoff fund-raising event for this year's walk, to be held May 14. Ben's twin brother, Erik (back, left) and his older brother, Jeff, have been participating in the Heart Walk in Ben's honor every year since the twins were 4. The King family and the Friends With Heart group invite everyone in the community to walk with them or donate to the cause. Ben and his brothers, his parents and friends will be walking for the Friends With Heart sub-team, “Team Ben.”
The Worcester Sharks beat the Manchester Monarchs on family night, and Friends With Heart are hoping to beat congenital heart disease. For information about the Friends With Heart walk team, visit http://heartwalk. kintera.org/worcesterma/friendswithheart. For information about congenital heart disease and the Friends With Heart organization, visit www.friendswithheart.com.
