The Heart!? This boy has no heart!

Well, not strictly true, but in late 2021, I did find out that I was born with a congenital heart defect - a bicuspid aortic valve. 

About 1 in 3 people with a bicuspid aortic valve develop serious or fatal complications, and about 4 out of 5 people need aortic valve and heart surgery at some point in their life.

And that's for just one type of heart problem - not the whole range of heart and circulatory diseases that kill 460 people in the UK every day (accounting for 25% of all deaths in the UK).

Whilst maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help minimise the impact heart disease has on people, alongside regular checkups and scans with healthcare providers, it's through funding and research that new technology, treatments and cures can be developed to continue to improve outcomes and reduce complications. 

Every donation you make help funds scientific breakthroughs that can save and improve the lives of millions suffering from heart and circulatory diseases and since the British Heart Foundation was established the annual number of deaths from heart and circulatory diseases in the UK has fallen by around a half. 

With your support, you can help end the heartbreak of losing someone to heart disease.