A big 'thank you' from the BHF

Editor,

As a Consultant Cardiologist at Manchester University Foundation Trust, and a British Heart Foundation funded Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at The University of Manchester, I see first-hand the serious and sometimes devastating consequences of serious heart disease.

Sadly, the North West has the worst heart disease outcomes in England; and around 850,000 people in the North West are living with cardiovascular disease right now.

Both clinical doctors and researchers are determined to spare more families the pain of having a loved one suffer and possibly pass away from these conditions.

There is some very good news – heart research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has helped to halve death rates from heart and circulatory diseases over the past 50 years.

But there is still much more to be done to beat heart and circulatory diseases.  

So much of the research done so far has only been possible thanks to the generosity of people who have remembered the BHF in their Will.

These special gifts fund more than a quarter of all cardiovascular research in the UK.

In the past year North West residents left more than £6.7 million in their Wills to the British Heart Foundation to help fund life saving cardiovascular research.

I would personally like to honour these people and express my gratitude to their families for making research breakthroughs possible and helping to save lives.

People who do decide to leave gifts are often motivated by the desire to make a difference, or to give something back for the benefit of others.

Leaving a legacy to heart research is an effective way to do these things, as BHF funded research has a very good track record of delivering improvements in health.

I would like to say a most sincere 'thank you' to all those who have already decided to support the BHF in this unique way, and encourage more people to consider doing the same, so we can unlock further medical breakthroughs and save more lives.

A gift of any size, after you’ve provided for your loved ones, will enable the BHF to continue to fund pioneering research so we can beat heart and circulatory disease for good.

To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will, please visit: bhf.org.uk/wills

Bernard Keavney,

BHF Professor at the University of Manchester

The views expressed are those of the author of the letter and not those of Oldham Chronicle.