As 2022 drew to a close, Rod Alm was in a dark place. He had, in his own words, let himself go. He was badly out of shape and experiencing irregular heartbeats. “I was despairing, thinking I was going to die a lot younger than I thought, and it was my fault,” he recalls. Today, Rod, who is 71, refers to his first meeting with members of the VGH Centre for Cardiovascular Health’s multidisciplinary team in December 2022 as the day his life completely changed.
“Now I have hope and a lot of good reasons to live.” – Rod Alm
The VGH Centre for Cardiovascular Health is a comprehensive risk reduction program for individuals who have had a heart attack, coronary angioplasty, open heart surgery, angina, who have heart rhythm issues, and for those who are at risk for developing heart disease. Following a procedure to restore his heartbeat to a normal rhythm, Rod enrolled in the comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program, which included medication, counselling, dietary and exercise changes. Since 2022, with perseverance and positivity, he has climbed a vertical distance equivalent to summiting Mt. Everest six times and has walked a distance that would take him from Victoria to Quebec City.
For 25 years, the VGH Centre for Cardiovascular Health has relied on its annual Have a Healthy Heart fundraiser and support from donors like you to deliver services that define the forefront of clinical care and medical technology. Philanthropy like yours is used to subsidize cardiac rehabilitation program fees (to the tune of $40,000 annually), to purchase and maintain exercise equipment, to fund specialty programs like dietary and counselling and wellness workshops, and to support staff education and professional development.
The Centre’s reach is broadened through its Happy Hearts Alliance, a powerful partnership between the VGH Centre for Cardiovascular Health and community organizations such as the Vancouver Park Board, facilitating the delivery of services in locations across our communities. This enables the Centre to provide cardiac wellness programs that are accessible and closer to home, impacting the lives of thousands of families in our communities.
Thanks to donor support, many people with heart disease are enjoying, as Rod says, “a new lease on life”, and looking forward to a future that would not be possible without your generosity.
