The Heart and Stroke Foundation dreams of a world without heart disease and stroke. Every year we get a little closer to that dream. Your support of the Heart&Stroke Lottery helps the Foundation continue to fund research that fulfills the dreams of those affected by heart disease and stroke. With 1 in 3 Canadian deaths attributed to these devastating diseases – your help makes a lot of dreams come true. Every ticket purchased helps save lives, improves survival rates and inspires hope for longer and healthier lives. Thanks to your support we fund more than 450 research teams in local hospitals, universities and research institutions in communities across Ontario. Click here to see the map of where you help save lives across Ontario.
Some critical areas of focus include:
· Getting high blood pressure under control.
· Increasing awareness and knowledge about the health effects of being overweight and obesity.
· Educating Ontarians and healthcare professionals about prevention and management of heart disease and stroke.
Here are just four examples of how every dollar raised by the Heart and Stroke Foundation improves the lives and health of Canadians. Remember, when you support life-saving research, you make a difference.
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Madelaine was 6 years old when her heart started beating fast and she turned blue at a skating rink. She was having trouble breathing. At the hospital she was treated for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – an enlarged heart. Open-heart surgery was needed to remove a blockage in the heart cavity and to save her life. Today, 11-year-old Madelaine is physically active and visits schools to share her miraculous story with other children. "I always point out that heart disease is not just an old person's disease – it can affect anyone at any age." |
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While lifting weights at the gym, Kenneth Hahn, 36, began seeing blind spots progressing to the point where he could hardly walk. He never expected to have a stroke in his mid-thirties. But at the hospital an MRI confirmed it. Since the stroke, Kenneth has returned to work as a dentist and is living a healthier lifestyle by eating healthier and being physically active. After a year on blood thinners Kenneth is no longer required to take them. His advice? "Take your health seriously – don't take it for granted." |
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Gordon MacKay found himself out of breath and weak while walking up the stairs. His strength drained and he felt his heart beating rapidly. Gordon was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. He received an electric cardioversion procedure to shock his heart to normal rhythm and was put on medication to regulate his heartbeat. Today, he keeps his heart healthy by walking, playing golf, avoiding caffeine and takes a blood thinner medication. "I have an enormous appreciation for all that the doctors and nurses did to save my life." |
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Joan Parkinson, 65, has to take blood thinners and medications to control her irregular heartbeat or atrial fibrillation. But last March it wasn't her heart condition that caused her heart rate to shoot off the charts. Joan won $1 million in the Heart&Stroke Lottery. "Sometimes, I hope I might get a little gift, but this was mind-blowing. I buy tickets mainly because the money's going to a good cause. Thanks to organizations like the Foundation, we've come so far with research." |
