A few weeks ago for the World Heart Federation’s World Heart Day, we attended a special red-carpet event hosted by GUARDaHEART, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting heart disease through awareness and prevention.
With Leyna @LeynasKitchen. World Heart Day, celebrated on September 29th each year, was created in 2000 to inform people around the globe that heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year and the numbers are rising. By 2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from heart disease annually – that is more than the population of Australia.
The black tie James Bond-themed event focused on “Targeting Heart Disease” and highlighted actions to reduce the risk of heart disease with this message: “LEARN. DETECT. PREVENT.”
GUARDaHEART presented three prestigious honors at the event:
- The National Heart Award
- The International Heart Award
- The American Hero Award
An elite Honorary Committee included:
- Physicians: His Highness, Sheik Khalid Bin Jabor Al Thani, MD, Dr. Douglas Harrington (USC Keck School of Medicine), Dr. Nathan Wong (UCI Director, Heart Disease Prevention Program), Dr. Shaista Malik (UCI Assistant Professor of Cardiology), and Dr. Rico Simonini (Cardiologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center).
- Dignitaries: Assemblyman Donald Wagner, Asemblywoman Diane Harkey, and Assemblyman Travis Allen.
The event was held at the Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, California. It was pretty cool to see their collection.
SILENT AUCTION
A silent auction was held. Proceeds provide education, detection, and prevention resources for the global community including members of the military, first responders, and low-income families.
Disclosure: We attended the event as a member of the media to share with our readers. All opinions are our own. Images by LetsPlayOC.com unless where indicated.
www.aviir.com for more information.
About GUARDaHEARTGUARDaHEART is a non-profit foundation dedicated to raising awareness and powering prevention of heart disease by spreading the word to “guard your heart and save your life”. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. GUARDaHEART is dedicated to promoting the fact that if individuals know their risk and take the necessary steps to lower the risk of heart disease, most cardiovascular disease is preventable. GUARDaHEART provides financial assistance for individuals who are unable to pay for cardiac risk assessments and supports programs and additional resources to lower the risk of heart disease. Please visit www.guardaheart.org and/or www.savethe1.org for more information.