Heart Run & Walk: Team O'Neill

America's Greatest  Heart Run and Walk is just three days away.

The community will gather in teams to walk or run to fight cardiovascular disease.

Many will also participate in memory of a loved one.

Eyewitness News Reporter Jennifer Lee shares with us the story of one team from Deerfield who is remembering two very important people.

"He loved collecting Nike Dunks. He had so many colors. You had to match the color of your shirt to the color of your shoes," explains the O'Neill family.

Which is why the O'Neill's picked Nike Dunks as their team logo.

It was the day of the 2007 Boilermaker Road Race event. What should have been a great day for Debbie O'Neill turned into her worst nightmare.

"He said I'm not too sure about this race mom. I told him if he wasn't sure about it then don't do it. He said no this is something I have to do because I'll be in Japan next year," says Debbie.

That was the last time Debbie heard from her 24-year-old son, Sean.

He died running the race. But, Debbie's story doesn't stop there.

Thirty days later, Debbie's husband died in his sleep.

Soon enough, the O'Neill's found out their family has a hereditary heart condition called cardiac arrhythmia, prevalent on the father's side of the family.

Now, Debbie's two daughters, Peggy and Katie have heart defibrillators.

"The heart problem is an arrhythmia, it's the heart rhythm. It's not the muscle itself. So, if my heart goes into an abnormal rhythm too fast or too slow, it's programed to know what my heart is doing and it will shock it back to a normal rhythm," explains Peggy.

At first, Peggy says she was scared to exert her body.

But, as time went on she came to accept it.

"What happens with this heart disease, it causes sudden cardiac death. There is no real warning. It's just lights out unfortunately," says Peggy.

There was no warning for her brother Sean.  Now, Peggy has a heart defibrillator, which she calls a great insurance policy.

She's already had to use the device. Peggy has a checkup every three months.

She says the device is supposed to last up to ten years.

The O'Neill's say this weekend will be one of the ways she will be giving back to the community and raising awareness.

"It's not just about your high cholesterol or your clogged arteries or your bad diet. Those are factors too. But there are also genetic heart diseases that you may not know about," says Peggy.