Dear Editor:
We invite people from across Summerland area to recognize and become involved in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Heart Month this February. Heart Disease and Stroke are two of the three leading causes of death for Canadians, cutting the lives of Canadians short.
But you can save lives this Heart Month by:
o Donating online: heartandstroke.bc.ca
o Calling 1-866- 432-7833 to register as a canvasser in your neighbourhood
o Giving generously when a canvasser comes to your door, or contacts you online
o Learning about the preventable risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Visit heartandstroke.bc.ca for more information.
Since 1955, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation have facilitated:
o research behind the development and use of the implantable pacemaker
o clot-busting drugs that can erase the effects of a stroke after it’s happened
o pioneering the artificial heart for transplant patients
o developing and updating guidelines for resuscitation
o public awareness of stroke signs and heart attack warning signals.
Signs of a heart attack include chest pain or discomfort, pain in arm, neck jaw or back, sweating, nausea and difficult breathing. Signs of a stroke include weakness, numbness, trouble speaking, vision problems, severe headache and dizziness.
To date, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has funded $1 billion in support of Canadian research, with more than $100 million going to BC researchers.
The results of many years of diligence, determination and perseverance on the part of world-class researchers and scientists are coming back to our communities.
With your help, we are continuing to learn more about heart disease and stroke, move closer to a future with generations free of heart disease and stroke.
Suzanne Pugh
Area Manager — Okanagan/Kootenay
Kelowna