We remember the people behind the statistics this World Heart Day

Published: 28 September 2017

Famous landmarks around the world will turn red on Friday 29 September for World Heart Day 2017. We’re leading the way by illuminating the Sky Tower.

If you’re in Auckland on Friday night, look up to see the Sky Tower pulsate red to raise awareness for cardiovascular disease (CVD). As the world’s number one killer, CVD includes heart disease and stroke.

172,000 Kiwis live with heart disease every day, and CVD claims more than 10,000 lives in New Zealand each year. We’re taking a moment to remember the lives lost and the lives we’re fighting to save. 

What is World Heart Day?

The World Heart Federation runs World Heart Day on 29 September every year. They work hard to encourage everyone to participate in the day worldwide and to promote heart health.
This year 120 countries will take part. So there’ll be lots of activities going on, inspiring millions of people to look after their hearts.

Look out for people sharing heart-health tips, heart selfies, and for iconic buildings to turn red worldwide. From New York’s Times Square to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, everyone’s getting involved.

The battle against heart disease

CVD is the world’s biggest killer, and causes 17.5 million deaths worldwide. This is expected to rise to 23 million in 2030. Unfortunately, New Zealand is part of this global trend. Every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from heart disease and 33% of deaths annually are from CVD.

Research is vital in helping us save, and improve, the lives of those living with heart disease. And it’s working. Since our launch in 1968 there’s been a 75% reduction in deaths from heart disease in New Zealand.

Thanks to our generous donors we’ve been able to fund major breakthroughs in heart research. Now we can recognise heart attacks faster. We know the best ways to reduce blood pressure. We’ve helped save thousands of lives. That’s an incredible achievement. 

Our heart research milestone

That’s why this World Heart Day is special for the Heart Foundation as we’ve got an exciting announcement. We’re celebrating an amazing $60 million research milestone. An achievement made possible by our donors.

World Heart Day highlights the work that is still needed in the battle against heart disease. But thanks to our donors, we continue to fight.