Even young and fit need a heart check
The Heart Foundation has teamed up with rugby player Hoani MacDonald to convince Southlanders to check their heart health.
Marist rugby players were among the first to get a heart health lecture from the former Southland player last night, beforetraining.
MacDonald, who had a sudden cardiac arrest and flatlined in October last year, has joined former All Black Buck Shelford to help spread the word about the Heart Foundation’s latest campaign, which encourages New Zealanders to get a heart check.
Young and active people like rugby players were often complacent about their heart health but needed to take care, MacDonald said.
‘‘The demographic is lowering quickly, so . . . young fit people are now having trouble with their hearts.
‘‘When you start hearing the stats, it’s quite interesting. One person every 90 minutes dies of a heart disease.’’
MacDonald would be helping the Heart Foundation remind people to get checked by distributing posters and pamphlets to rugby clubs.
Heart Foundation Southland heart health advocate Nicola Mason said checks helped people find out if they were at risk of heart disease, and having MacDonald on board helped get the message out there.
‘‘I don’t think people think about their heart health. If you get people when they’re still well, it saves lives but it also saves money and it saves heartache.’’
Checks could be free for some patients, she said.