(CMR) The Cayman Heart Fund hosted its inaugural “Beating Hearts Breakfast” on Wednesday, 8th February 2023, from 7 am – 8:30 am in the Ritz-Carlton Ballroom, where attendees gathered to kick off Heart Awareness Month.
Speakers included CHF Patron H. E. Governor Martyn Roper who gave an opening address. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson spoke about his recent micro heart attack. Ailian, Sean, and Ashlyn Evans from Team Nolan, The Paediatric Program of the Cayman Heart Fund, also shared their deeply personal story of losing their baby son and brother to a congenital heart defect in 2018.
Allison Olarou, CHF Coordinator, shared the story of Heart Hero Charles Adams, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at the Cayman Tennis Club in February 2020 but whose life was saved by immediate CPR and using an AED from bystander hero Stephen Thompson.
At the end of the presentation, attendees were invited to support the lifesaving work of the cardiovascular charity with pledges of donations.
Heart Awareness Month is a time to raise awareness of the importance of people’s cardiovascular health. Sadly Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is still the leading cause of death both in the Cayman Islands and globally, claiming 18.6m deaths every year and accounting for 33% of all deaths, Cayman Heart Fund stated.
The staff, Directors, and volunteers of the Cayman Heart Fund are dedicated to increasing public awareness of heart disease and stroke – still the most significant health issue in the Cayman Islands.
According to the Cayman Heart Fund, the threat of CVD has never been more urgent and is intensified by age, sedentary lifestyles, poor diets, and more. It’s estimated that 9 out of 10 people have at least one risk factor, such as high blood pressure, obesity, tobacco use, lack of physical activity, and diabetes.
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