February 2024

The Heart Foundation is calling on New Zealanders to support the Big Heart Appeal this February

The Heart Foundation’s single biggest annual fundraiser of the year, the Big Heart Appeal, is back this month with a strong message – help us to save lives through life-saving heart research.

As heart attacks, heart failure and heart disease continue to rise, especially among our younger population, there has never been a better time to donate towards life-saving heart research and overseas training for New Zealand cardiologists, funded by the Heart Foundation. “Heart disease claims the life of one New Zealander every 90 minutes, so it’s vital that we invest in life-saving heart research to help keep families together for longer,” says Dr Gerry Devlin, Medical Director at the Heart Foundation.

Globally, we are seeing early deaths from heart disease hitting their highest levels.

Cases of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes among the under-75s had been declining since the 1960s, due to better prevention and management. But now we’re starting to see a reversal of six decades of progress.

Regardless of age, gender or background, heart issues can happen to anyone.

Investing in heart research is critical. Through kind donations from big-hearted New Zealanders, the Heart Foundation can fund life-saving heart research grants, as well as overseas training grants for New Zealand cardiologists. Every donation can help take a step towards unlocking the next breakthrough.

Faye, a 48-year-old schoolteacher at a primary school in Whanganui, epitomises the term ‘busy mum’. However, an unexpected cardiac arrest at a sports event brought her life to a screeching halt.

“It was so quick. I was ushering the kids back to a seated area and I suddenly collapsed. There were teachers with me and medics for the event, so I had an immediate response and then an ambulance came in and I got everything that I needed,” Faye recalls.

“I didn’t even know what a cardiac arrest was before it happened to me,” she says. “This knowledge needs to be out there because there are a lot of people that don’t understand about heart events – like the need for AEDs to be absolutely everywhere possible to save people’s lives. “Yes, it was a traumatic experience, but if it had to happen then I’m just so grateful that it happened like that. Afterwards, I was flown down to the cardiology department in Wellington.”

Faye woke up in the hospital in Wellington where she received an ICD defibrillator implant. The defibrillator wire runs across her chest, a constant reminder of her second chance.

“I hope that one day I can help someone else be as lucky as I was,” she says.

Over the past fifty-five years, the Heart Foundation has invested more than $90 million in life-saving research along with overseas training for cardiologists, who bring their skills home to improve and save the lives of New Zealanders.

To donate to life-saving heart research, look out

for the Big Heart Appeal street collectors on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 February or go online and visit heartfoundation.org.nz/get-involved/

big-heart-appeal-donation.