By Lee Hurley
The 2026 Birmingham Heart Ball, hosted by the American Heart Association (AHA), promises to be a night of glamour, gratitude and giving back—all for a vital cause: the fight against heart disease. This year’s event, held on February 28, will be steered by co-chairs Caldwell and Cathy Marks, a couple whose personal and professional ties to heart health fuel their passion for the mission.
The Heart Ball is the centerpiece of the AHA’s “Heart of Birmingham” campaign, which works year-round to advance community health through research, policy, education and improved access to care. This year’s gala offers time to reflect, honor and celebrate progress toward advancing heart health.
Leading with Heart: Caldwell and Cathy Marks
Caldwell and Cathy Marks were introduced by mutual Birmingham friends and met for the first time the weekend of the Vanderbilt-Alabama football game, which was played at Legion Field in 1998. “She loves it when I tell people this,” says Caldwell, “but we actually met around the pool tables at Zydeco.”
Cathy grew up in Starkville, Mississippi, and graduated from Starkville Academy. Caldwell grew up in Mountain Brook and graduated from Indian Springs. Cathy was a math major at Vanderbilt while Caldwell majored in Geology and Forestry at Sewanee. The pair have been married for 25 years living in Crestline from the start. The Marks have three children: Wells, 21 a junior at Auburn studying Biomedical Sciences; Andrew 19, a sophomore at Auburn studying Building Sciences and a daughter, Alden, 15 in the 10th grade at Mountain Brook High School.
A native of Mountain Brook, Caldwell’s connection to heart health is personal. High blood pressure and heart disease run in his family. “My first real personal experience with heart disease came in 1996 when I came home from Sewanee for Thanksgiving to find out that my dad had been rushed to the hospital for emergency triple bypass surgery,” Caldwell says. His dad recovered, yet years later started having more serious heart complications and passed away in 2017 of a heart attack. He was only 69. “I believe my dad’s life was prolonged by medications and procedures made possible by AHA research,” he says.
Professionally, Caldwell is a co-founder of Hoist Capital Partners, Alabama’s first Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) fund. Cathy, a seasoned Senior Clinical Research Associate, has spent over two decades managing drug trial studies. Their combined experience gives them insight into how research turns into life-saving realit —the very work the AHA supports.
They’ve also been hands-on in building this year’s event, ensuring it reflects the spirit of Birmingham and the mission at heart. “Our job is to raise awareness and funds,” says Caldwell. “We’re proud to say the event is sold out.”
A Night to Remember
This year’s Heart Ball will feature dinner, dancing and an auction, all wrapped in a signature red-themed celebration of American Heart Month. A special highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Heart of Gold Award to Dr. Ray Watts, President of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his wife Nancy, in recognition of their contributions to community health and education. “Dr. Watts’s unwavering commitment to patients and their families, and tireless advocacy work, exemplifies the heart of our mission,” says Lizzi Willicott, executive director of the American Heart Association in Birmingham.
The Marks see this moment as both personal and civic. “Heart health is an issue that touches nearly every Southern family. We’re grateful for the opportunity to give back,” Caldwell says.
Wren Buie’s Brave Heart
For the Buie family of Homewood, heart health became personal before Wren Buie was even born. During a routine 20-week pregnancy scan in 2022, doctors spotted a concerning heart anomaly. Later diagnosed with a complex condition—Double Outlet Right Ventricle—Wren faced open-heart surgery at just one month old. “Those first months were terrifying, but the Birmingham medical community was incredible,” says her mother, Rachel Buie. Wren’s care team, including Dr. Robert Dabal, Dr. Leslie Gaddis and her pediatrician Dr. Gretel Russell, helped guide the family through two major surgeries and countless checkups.
Now three years old, Wren is thriving. She’s a joyful, spunky scooter-riding, princess-loving toddler. Though more surgeries lie ahead, the Buies are filled with gratitude not just for the doctors, but for the research that made Wren’s care possible. “When we first googled her condition, the prognosis was not good,” Rachel says. “However, because of funding and research from organizations like AHA, these kids are being cared for at birth and are living long and full lives.”
The Birmingham Heart Ball is more than an elegant night out. It’s a movement—powered by stories like Wren’s and championed by families like the Marks—to turn the tide against heart disease in Alabama and beyond.
For more information or to support the American Heart Association, visit heart.org/birminghamhb or contact Beth Gregory at [email protected].
