James and the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad turn Red for Feb

It is the last day of RedFeb, the initiative raising awareness about heart disease. Floyd Larsen, CEO of Heart Research Australia, reflects on a month of fun activities for a serious cause.

As a part of Heart Research Month, Heart Research Australia held its very first RedFeb Relay, a fundraising initiative that aims to raise awareness about the devastating impact of heart disease.

The RedFeb Relay is a fun and active way to make your heart health a priority while raising funds to contribute to the fight against heart disease. This month, Heart Research Australia put out the call to all Australians to encourage them to participate in the relay by tracking their everyday kilometres to add to the virtual relay in order to lap the map.

Heart disease affects two out of three Australian families, something that James Partington and his family is too familiar with. At 37, after being diagnosed with heart disease and being told his life expectancy was slim without medical help, he underwent an eight hour procedure that involved stopping his heart and performing bypass surgery.

Eight weeks after his surgery he was back at work and three months later he was actively swimming between Manly and Shelly beach with the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad, a group of keen swimmers who swim 1.5 kilometres daily.

During February, James and the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad have been contributing their daily kilometres to the RedFeb Relay tally, swimming over 8,000kms while raising $1,655 during the month. The squad have not only prioritised their health but the health of other Australian hearts too.

Heart disease causes 34% of all deaths in Australia, and research is a fundamental part in the advancement of understanding this deadly disease but unfortunately it is expensive. Heart Research Australia is investing in research, funding scholarship and supporting treatment programs in order to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease.

Throughout February, over 200 individuals and groups have participated in the RedFeb Relay, completing almost 60,000 kilometres around Australia and raising more than $46,000. Although the month has drawn to an end it is not too late to donate to the RedFeb Relay campaign. Visit http://www.redfeb.com.au/ for more information.