Help fight heart disease
THIS month, the Heart Foundation is asking New Zealanders to help stop heart disease (the country’s biggest killer), which is responsible for more than 6000 deaths every year.
During February, people throughout the country will be raising money to fight (and raising awareness about) heart disease. Events will include street appeals and a cycle challenge.
The foundation is a charity reliant on donations, and is asking New Zealanders to help out where they can.
The South Island Cycle Challenge will be held on Friday February 17 in Wall Street
Mall from 11am until 2pm, with heart attack survivor June Aerakis there offering support.
Ms Aerakis suffered a heart attack three years ago, however, she didn’t realise her symptoms indicated a heart attack. Rather than sharp pains in her chest or shooting pains up and down her left arm, she had a sore throat. She put it down to feeling a bit tired and run-down.
Four days shy of retiring from her job as a kindergarten teacher, she woke up feeling unwell, so took a couple of Panadol and went to work.
Many of her colleagues commented on how unwell she looked and that her face had lost a lot of colour.
After some convincing, she made an appointment to see her doctor, who told her the same thing.
She went for her annual health warrant of fitness slightly earlier than usual and had some blood tests done. When the results came back the next day, she was rushed to the hospital, with doctors telling her there were blockages in her arteries and she had to get stents put in.
‘‘As soon as I heard, I was in denial. When the doctors told me I was going to need stents, I told them they would have to do it next week as I was planning on going to Nelson to see my son,’’ she said.
Instead, her son visited her.
Before her heart attack, she found doing simple jobs like pushing her wheelie bin up the driveway challenging, but she just thought she had just been working too hard.
After she was discharged from hospital, she began her rehabilitation programme at a gym.
When her time there was finished, she wanted to continue exercising, so she joined The Larks.
The Larks is a fitness group which is run in collaboration with the Heart Foundation, the District Health Board and the University of Otago.
Since her heart attack, Ms Aerakis said she received wonderful support from the staff at the Heart Foundation.
THE LARKS
The group was formed by Dunedin man Tom Ross three years ago.
While it started as a class for people who had had heart issues, it soon became a place for people of all ages and abilities to go and work out.
Mr Ross said the aim of the class was to get people exercising and having fun.
‘‘It becomes a social event as well. People often tell me that if they were not involved in The Larks then they would not be doing anything at all,’’ Mr Ross said.
Physiotherapy and physical education students from the university are often involved in the classes as part of their studies.
‘‘It gives them the chance to do some hands-on work, such as heart checks’’, he said.
Many of The Larks members volunteer at the Heart Foundation by taking part in collection days.
‘‘We feel we are really part of the Heart Foundation,’’ Mr Ross said.
Ms Aerakis is now the group’s treasurer and enjoys taking part in the classes.
‘‘I’m busier now than ever. I don’t have time to be old,’’ Ms Aerakis said.