Auckland mayor Len Brown’s story

Published: 20 December 2011

At 51 years of age, Len suffered a major heart attack while delivering a speech at the Manukau Telstra Clear Stadium. The event was witnessed by his wife Shan.

Auckland mayor Len Brown has become a strong advocate for heart disease prevention.

At 51 years of age, Len suffered a major heart attack while delivering a speech at the Manukau Telstra Clear Stadium. The event was witnessed by his wife Shan.

Having survived the most public of heart attacks, Len was found to have a number of severely narrowed coronary arteries requiring coronary artery bypass graft surgery and then had to contend with one of the grafts perforating while still in the operating theatre.

It has been discovered that Len has inherited a family susceptibility to heart disease - a condition where plaque builds up in the coronary arteries and over time restricts vital blood flow to the heart.

Len was lucky. He now has excellent health and is a regular gym-goer and healthy eater.

"It gave me a new outlook on life. It reinforced the importance of family and made me want to achieve great things for Auckland."

For Len, his wife Shan, and children Samantha, Victoria, and Olivia, the drive for better heart health for New Zealanders is quite simply a family crusade. "We are in this together," says Len.