Honor Loved Ones by Establishing Memorial Donations

Donations help reduce death and disability due to cardiac arrhythmia disorders

November, 2011 — Grateful family member and Founder level donor to the Heart Rhythm Foundation, Robin W. Johnson of Vidalia Associates, has chosen to honor the memory of her father, Edward D. Winters, by working with the Foundation to create a custom donation site for his family, friends and colleagues. The unrestricted donations received in Mr. Winter's memory will help us continue the development and delivery of innovative programs in the areas of public awareness, professional education, patient advocacy, and research for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

To contribute to a memorial fund such as that for Mr. Winters, ensure that the box on the Foundation's secure online donation page marked "I wish to designate part of my gift to the following fund or memorial" is checked, and then specify which fund or memorial. To create your own memorial fund in honor of a patient, friend or family member, please contact Betsy Bogdansky, Director of Donor Relations at bbogdansky@hrsonline.org, (202) 464-3454 for assistance and additional information.

All donations to the Heart Rhythm Foundation help reduce death and disability due to cardiac arrhythmia disorders by supporting the research, education and advocacy efforts of the Heart Rhythm Society.

Among its efforts to educate the public on the very serious heart health issue of atrial fibrillation — also known as AF or Afib — the Heart Rhythm Society has implemented its AF Awareness Campaign, actively working to increase public knowledge about AF, the symptoms and warning signs and the treatments available.

"AF is the most common heart arrhythmia and, unfortunately, many people know very little about AF and just how serious it can be to someone's long-term health," says Bruce Wilkoff, MD, FHRS, CCDS, president of Heart Rhythm Society. AF, characterized by a rapid and irregular heartbeat, can severely depreciate an individual's quality of life, causing heart palpitations, chronic fatigue and debilitating pain.

AF can also increase the risk of stroke fivefold and is estimated to be responsible for 88,000 deaths and $16 billion in additional costs to the U.S. healthcare system. As the world population ages, the prevalence of AF is projected to increase -- projections are that more than 5.6 million adults in the next 40 years will be diagnosed with AF.

Another critical initiative the Foundation helps fund is the SCA Awareness Campaign. Having determined that more than 70 percent of Americans not only underestimate the seriousness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, or SCA, but also believe SCA is a type of heart attack, the Society's tools and resources help the public become more familiar with what SCA is, how it affects people and what can be done to help save lives.

SCA claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. To decrease the death toll from SCA, it is important to understand what SCA is, what the symptoms and warning signs are and how to respond and prevent SCA from occurring.