Tag Archives: Irish Heart Foundation

AN Ardnacrusha heart patient whose life was saved by a double heart bypass, is urging the government to allocate €1.2 million in annual funding to the Irish Heart Foundation. Pauline O’Shea, (50) recalled the National Stroke and Heart Charity helped her to pick up the pieces after the shocking diagnosis she had the heart of a 70 year-old and a heart function of between 10% and 20% before surgery. The mother-of-three required emergency life-saving intervention to deal with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) when a tear appeared in the wall of a coronary artery, which supplied blood to her heart. When her heart function improved to about 35% following medication and intensive rehabilitation work, Ms O’Shea started volunteering for the Irish Heart Foundation in 2018 before she applied for and was appointed as their Patient Advocacy Campaign Manager since September 2022. Using her marketing and communications experience, she draws on her personal near death experience as a heart failure patient …

THE estimated 1,800 people living with heart failure in Clare are being urged to embrace a wide range of supports to help them manage the chronic condition. The Irish Heart Foundation is at the centre of a national drive to provide vital back-up to patients who need help coping with the illness. “People often feel shock, trauma and isolation after a diagnosis of heart failure, but with the right supports, it is manageable,” said Lucinda McNerney, the Irish Heart Foundation’s Heart Failure Programme Manager. “We want to let these patients in Clare know that we are with them on that journey, in terms of counselling, online meetings, a Nurse Support Line, exercise classes, newsletters, a podcast series and peer-to-peer support to help them to keep well, both physically and mentally. “We have patients in our network aged 30 and above, whose daily lives have changed – their work status, having to take medication, dealing with lower energy. All this can …

A CLARE woman has joined the fight against childhood obesity in Ireland and is urging the public to join the Irish Heart Foundation’s ‘Stop Targeting Kids’ drive. A growing trend in obesity levels in children, especially during Covid, has prompted Caitriona Lynch, from Sixmilebridge, to join the campaign. The ICU nurse in University Hospital Galway has a special interest in childhood obesity having just graduated from a Master’s of Science in Obesity from NUIG. “It is clear to me that junk food companies used the opportunity (during Covid) to keep their unhealthy products centre stage in children’s minds,” said Ms Lynch. “We need to break the junk food cycle to improve children’s health. I joined this campaign because I believe a ban on junk food marketing would be a game changer in tackling childhood obesity. “As an active campaigner, I’ve been in touch with the Advertising Standards Authority about irresponsible advertising by brands loved by young people as this marketing is …

Clare senior hurler and youth wellness ambassador, Podge Collins, and captain, Patrick O’Connor, have pledged their support for Clare County Library’s Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme. Speaking at the launch in the de Valera Library, Podge said, “I am delighted to be associated with this library initiative, it’s a brilliant resource for the county. I hope that young people will call into their local library or log on to the website www.clarelibrary.ie to check out what’s on offer.” Caroline Aherne, executive librarian, explained, “Healthy Ireland is the national strategy to improve health and wellbeing, placing a focus on prevention, individual awareness and keeping people healthy for longer. Public libraries, including Clare County Library, are currently delivering the nationwide ‘Healthy Ireland at Your Library’ programme that will establish libraries as a valuable source within the community for health information.” Through funding granted by Healthy Ireland, Clare County Library has enhanced its health and wellbeing book collections (digital and hardcopy), and …

Clare senior hurlers have laid down the gauntlet for their Waterford rivals, nominating the team to take on the crossbar challenge and beat their score of 12. The Clare side is the first county to take on the Charity Crossbar Challenge, which aims to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation and a local charity of the rivals’ choice for every cross bar hit. A video of the Clare team was recorded during a training session at Cusack Park, on Tuesday evening, including crossbar attempts from manager, Davy Fitzgerald, as well as selectors and other backroom members. It was an evening of fun, as some of the team’s top shooters were off the mark, while a number of players who normally operate behind midfield showed pinpoint accuracy. Davy Fitzgerald, who himself is fitted with two stents, nominated the Waterford senior hurlers to take on the Challenge next and deadline is Monday. See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFBKSVDvTuk

Against a backdrop of 295 people dying from cardiovascular disease in Clare in 20131, the Pumped Schools’ Video Awards have been launched to encourage young people to create mini-movies on a heart health theme. The competition, supported by Bayer in partnership with the Irish Heart Foundation, the Federation of Irish Sport and RTÉ news2day, invites participants to explore the science behind physical activity, diet and smoking, the impact of these on health and well-being, and produce compelling 90-second videos that inspire viewers to act. With a prize fund of €10,000, there are three categories in which to enter – Smoking Stinks, Active Teens — Healthy Hearts and Weighty Matters. The awards are open to all post-primary students between the ages of 12 and 16 years with the winner of each category winning €3,000 for their school’s sports department and each individual student receiving a €100 voucher. More information can be found at www.pumped.ie. The closing date for entries is January 16.