ALBUQUERQUE, April 22, 2026 - For Martha S. Porter, the fight against heart disease and stroke isn't theoretical - it's personal.
After losing her father to a massive heart attack, watching her mother survive a stroke, supporting her husband through cardiac arrest and managing high blood pressure herself, Porter understands how quickly cardiovascular disease can change a family forever. That lived experience is what drives her volunteer leadership with the American Heart Association and what now brings her to a new role as chair of the 2026 New Mexico Heart Walk and 5K Run, set for Sept.
19. "If by bringing awareness I can save one life, then my volunteer work would have been worth it," Porter said.
Porter is leading a year‑round statewide effort to engage companies, organizations and families in raising lifesaving funds and expanding CPR education, a central focus of this year's Heart Walk campaign. According to the American Heart Association , nine in 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital do not survive, and more than half do not receive bystander CPR.
Leadership Spotlight: A Personal Mission Guides New Mexico Heart Walk Steering
Porter, a local banking professional with more than three decades of experience, is named chair of the 2026 New Mexico Heart Walk and 5K Run.
The event is scheduled for September 19 at Avanyu Plaza, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Her service history includes prior tenure on the AHA-New Mexico board of directors, with a return in 2025 under a renewed emphasis on health equity.
She recounts the loss of her father to a massive heart attack, her mother’s stroke survival, supporting her husband through cardiac arrest, and her own management of hypertension.
She emphasizes that the best outcomes may be achieved when bystanders can administer CPR before emergency responders arrive.
Under her direction, she envisions strengthening a community of “lifesavers” who are prepared to act in emergencies.
Porter's remarks underscore the statistic that nine in ten people do not survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and that more than half do not receive bystander CPR, with immediate CPR capable of doubling or tripling survival chances.
A note is made that all funds raised stay within New Mexico.
Details about additional sponsors or partners are not enumerated in the source.
The narrative relies on qualitative statements about goals and general expectations rather than quantitative endpoints.
It reiterates historical AHA commitments to health equity and community education.
The source does not provide a formal evaluation plan or a timeline for anticipated milestones beyond the event date.