Ollie’s quick CPR saved his dad, Andy, from a sudden and silent heart attack. Andy, who was seemingly healthy, had a hidden killer – a genetic condition affecting 1 in 5 people, which often goes undetected.
Their story is a stark reminder: heart attacks can strike anyone, anytime.
You can imagine the horror unfolding for this family – but it is a horror faced by many families whose loved ones have heart attacks out of the blue. And these types of heart attacks are the deadliest. We are urgently undertaking research that is searching for markers that will identify those at risk before they end up in life and death situations and your donation this tax time could help us get there quicker.
Your donation this tax time will enable our researchers to undertake essential research which, quite simply, could save the life of someone you love.
Andy’s wife, Trudie, recounts the terrifying night: “One minute we were having a lovely dinner, the next I found Andy lifeless. Our 17-year-old son, Ollie, performed CPR – the training he’d hoped he’d never need.”
Unbeknownst to them, Andy had a “widowmaker” heart attack due to a genetic condition, Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)). Tragically, most people with elevated Lp(a) don’t know until it’s too late.
As Andy says, “I should have died that night. I never thought it would happen to me and while I am a positive person, the emotional side has been difficult to come to terms with. After facing your mortality, you definitely feel vulnerable, and people do treat you differently. And obviously for me, that fact that my son had to go through all that to save me is beyond words. Read more
Help our researchers make discoveries that could save lives
Your donation will support our incredible researchers like Dr Daniel Brieger who are attempting to make discoveries which could change the lives for people like Andy, who have no idea they are at risk.
Dr Daniel Brieger, part of Andy’s medical team, explains: “Andy was incredibly lucky. Many aren’t. We urgently need to understand why some people develop heart disease and others don’t. The goal of my research is to identify a clear immune mechanism or marker that becomes dysregulated and makes someone more likely to develop plaque or cause it to rupture, leading to coronary disease or a heart attack.”
Basically, the key question we need to know is “Why do some people develop coronary heart disease and others don’t?”
Can you imagine a future where you can get screened for heart attacks? Maybe a simple blood test? Our researchers can, but they need your help. Your donation today enables our researchers to undertake essential research which, quite simply, could save the life of someone you love.
Ollie’s plea
“Please help us fund this research so no one else has to go through what we did. Let’s find the answers to prevent these life-or-death situations.”
Donate today to accelerate life-saving research
Your donation will help make medical breakthroughs in heart disease happen.