Thousands turned out at the Blue Cross Arena Saturday morning to help fight heart disease.

About 5,000 walkers participated in the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk. Among the walkers was Amerks Hall of Famer Scott Metcalfe, who was participating on behalf of former teammate Gates Orlando.

Orlando recently received an artificial heart and is awaiting a transplant.

Organizers say the walk raised $450,000 for the AHA.

According to the AHA, heart disease is the number one cause of death for Americans.