COLUMBUS (WCMH) — NBC4 has partnered with the African American Male Wellness Walk, but its more than just a day to focus on health and fitness.

For Revered John Coats, it was a chance to make a change to his health after he accepted a friend’s invitation to go to the walk.

“I met them out there about a half hour before the walk again and they were doing all types of medical tests and I said let me go ahead and get tested for these things because everyone else is doing it. So they checked my blood pressure and when they checked my blood pressure it was so high it was near stroke level.”

Coats said he knew he needed to make some changes to his health. “First of all you can’t be selfish, you have wives you have children you don’t want to cut your time short on this earth because you failed to do preventative or to address whatever medical issue that you may have. You know don’t take or remove yourself from that unit that loves you so much.”

An accepted invitation that Coats credits with saving his life. “If it had not been for being invited and encouraged to come out and walk for African American Male Wellness I don’t know if I would be alive today.”

The African American Male Wellness Walk begins at 5:30pm, May 18, and runs until 8:30pm at the Columbus State Community College Workforce Development Center.