GUARDaHEART Charity Event
Stressing the Importance of Heart Disease Prevention, GUARDaHEART Raises Awareness With A Fun Night For All!
By: Pat Murray
The GUARDaHEART Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting heart disease through awareness, detection and prevention, hosted a special event on September 28th at the Lyon Air Museum in Orange County in recognition of The World Heart Federation's World Heart Day. This year's global celebration was the largest to date as millions of people took part in activities around the world.
To arrive, guest drove through a hidden road next to John Wayne airport and up to the private hangar of the beautiful museum in Santa Clara, CA. For a "James Bond" themed event, attendees had to already feel like 007.
Upon entering the museum guest were then greeted by a long red carpet. First on the red carpet was 007 himself (or a very good imposter.) Along the carpet one could also see the beautiful planes and vehicles the museum had to offer. At the end was finally more information about what we all came for, heart disease.
Heart disease remains the #1 killer in many countries including the U.S. and many are unaware that 80% of heart disease is preventable with early detection and lifestyle modifications. The James Bond-themed event focused on "Targeting Heart Disease" with a simple message: "Learn. Detect. Prevent."
Aviir's MIRISK VP cardiac test was offered at the event, which has made great headway into identifying who is at risk for a heart attack. Do yourselves and your parents a favor and take this test. It is a great way to stay informed of your heart health, and to spread the word.
Guest speaker actor Eric Roberts of The Dark Knight and The Expendables opened by telling guests: "GUARDaHEART literally saved my life." His Highness, Sheik Khalid Bin Jabor Al Thani was the keynote speaker and recipient of the International Heart Award for his dedication and commitment in supporting heart disease awareness and detection worldwide. GUARDaHEART presented the National Heart Award to Susan and Henry Samueli for their commitment to prevention and the founding of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Wadie I. Najm accepted the award on their behalf. The American Hero Award was presented to Col. Charles Soltes for his military service and founding of the Fisher House, which continues to support veterans.
The Honorary Committee included the renowned Dr. Nathan Wong (Director of the UCI Heart Disease Prevention Program and U.S. Ambassador for the World Heart Day Federation), Dr. Shaista Malik (UCI Assistant Professor of Cardiology), Dr. Rico Simonini (Cardiologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Assemblyman Donald Wagner, Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, and Assemblyman Travis Allen.
The evening was co-sponsored by Aviir, Inc., Conaway and Conaway, Stillwater Dana Point, Sunsets Capo Beach, Mozambique Laguna Beach, Corporate Catering Online Irvine, ROHM Insurance, Aston Martin and many others. Proceeds from the event went to providing heart disease education, detection, and prevention resources for global communities; including members of the military, first responders, and low-income families.
About World Heart Day
World Heart Day, celebrated on September 29th each year, was established in 2000 to inform people around the globe that heart disease is the world's leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year with numbers continually rising. By 2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from heart disease annually - more than the population of Australia.
About Aviir
Aviir was founded in 2005 by a group of cardiologists and scientists from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Aviir is focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative diagnostic tests, with an emphasis on identifying patients at- risk of a cardiac event. Aviir's proprietary MIRISK and MIRISK VP cardiac tests have demonstrated significant improvement in the identification of individuals at risk of a heart attack. Aviir's CLIA-certified laboratory in Irvine, CA also offers a wide range of standard of care testing in addition to testing for cardiovascular assessment and therapeutic monitoring of cardiovascular disease and related metabolic disorders - including advanced pharmacogenomic and genetic tests. The company has adopted a unique clinical laboratory service model to provide physicians better diagnostic tools to help improve the cardiovascular health of their patients. The company is privately owned and funded by leading life science venture capital firms. Please visit http://www.aviir.com for more information.
About GUARDaHEART
GUARDaHEART is a non-profit foundation dedicated to raising awareness and powering prevention of heart disease by spreading the word to "guard your heart and save your life". Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. GUARDaHEART is dedicated to promoting the fact that if individuals know their risk and take the necessary steps to lower the risk of heart disease, most cardiovascular disease is preventable. GUARDaHEART provides financial assistance for individuals who are unable to pay for cardiac risk assessments and supports programs and additional resources to lower the risk of heart disease.
Please visit http://www.guardaheart.org and/or http://www.savethe1.org for more information.