A heart-felt walk

Published: 30 April 2019

On Mother’s Day Denise Quinney, together with her son, Bronson, will be walking the streets of Palmerston North in memory of her mum who died suddenly of a heart attack in 2013.

The Woodville pair will be joining thousands of people who are raising awareness about women’s heart health by taking part in the Jennian Mother’s Day Walk/Run events that are happening around the country on Sunday, 12 May.

This will be the sixth year that Denise and Bronson (11) have taken part in the annual 5km event, after Denise’s mum, Jillian, died of a heart attack in October 2013 at the age of 66.

“Mum had rheumatic fever as a child and had had a stent inserted to help her heart. But it was the stress when she was in hospital with a broken leg that brought on her heart attack.”

Denise says having recently celebrated her own 50th birthday she is very conscious of how important knowing about her own heart health is.

“It still feels like yesterday that we lost mum. It was very hard on us as a family – mums are often the glue that binds a family together, so it’s very important that we take care of ourselves and make sure we are fit and healthy,” she says.

Last year, Denise’s eldest two sons joined her and Bronson on Mother’s Day to walk the course and remember their grandma.

“I really encourage all women, and the people who love them, to come out and do some exercise. It’s always a great atmosphere with women of all ages, some with babies in strollers, enjoying the day, and we get loads of support from the marshals along the route.”

With heart disease claiming twice as many lives of Kiwi women than any other single cause (more than 3,000 women die every year), Jennian is helping to raise awareness of women’s heart health and help stop women dying prematurely from heart disease.

Now in its seventh year, the 5km event encourages New Zealand women of all ages to spend some quality time on Mother’s Day getting some exercise and loving their hearts.

Jennian Homes Chief Operating Officer Aidan Jury says the company is a proud supporter of the Heart Foundation’s work, including being a major sponsor of the Heart Foundation Lottery and organising the Mother’s Day events around the country.

“Sadly, so many Kiwi families have their lives significantly changed due to heart health issues. If through funding valuable heart research we can help more families stay together then we have done our job,” he says.

“We encourage people around the country to gather their family on Mother’s Day and join Jennian and the Heart Foundation for this great cause.”

Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Gerry Devlin says the charity is very grateful for the long-term partnership it has with Jennian and for its support of raising awareness about women’s heart health.

“Heart disease is the single biggest cause of death for women in New Zealand, but many people are unaware of these statistics because they believe it to be a 'man's disease',” says Dr Devlin.

“Nearly two-thirds of deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain. Unfortunately, women also tend to wait longer than men to call for an ambulance after experiencing heart attack warning signs.”

To register for the event in your location visit the Jennian Mother's Day website.

Take part in the Jennian Mother's Day Walk

Read about women and heart disease