1 February 2010

“I am a personal trainer and nutrition specialist in the Eastern Cape. I telephoned your Heart Mark Diet line and asked if I could have some information to assist with my clients.. A lady by the name of Erika Ketterer (Registered Dietitian of the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA), promised to send the latest press releases and some informative articles that I could use. Within 10 minutes, I received them via email and have now forwarded them to an entire village in the Eastern Cape. Thanks to your fantastic staff at the Heart Foundation, we are able to create awareness, even in the most remote places. This is what I call making the health care system work! Thank you.”

Nadine Lahana, Eastern Cape

2 February 2010
“At about noon on a beautiful winter’s day on 10 June 2006, I felt tightness in my chest, was feeling weak and perspiring heavily while watching my wife playing bowls. I dismissed it as indigestion or “something else” and went to lie down in my car for about an hour. I then felt better but a friend of mine advised me to have my ECG done as a precaution.

On my way home I stopped at the Montana Clinic in Pretoria, where after an examination I was told that I had a heart attack a few hours earlier. I then suffered another heart attack in the hospital and also had a cardiac arrest. I only woke up two days later.
A few months later, after a period of hospitalization for congestive heart failure, I underwent triple bypass surgery from Dr. de Wet Lubbe at the Panorama Medi-Clinic in Cape Town. After developing atrial fibrillation, Dr Tom Mabin of Vergelegen Medi-Clinic in Somerset West  equipped me with a bi-ventricular pacemaker and for the first time in two years I almost felt as normal as before my heart attack, but not quite . I was ready to get on with my recovery and plunged into a rehabilitation program.
With my new lease on life, I set out to raise awareness of heart disease and its risks. I started to learn ways to change my lifestyle and decrease my likelihood of another heart attack. The professionals at the Heart Foundation introduced me to these objectives, which included a focus on exercise, a proper diet, and ways to cope with stress.
For two years I have been involved in patient visitation at Vergelegen Medi-Clinics where I am now the chairperson for the Helderberg Cardiac Support Group. I also am a member of the Mended Hearts Support Group established by the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

I’m trying to give back to the community for the years of good life that I’ve enjoyed with my family since my heart attack, I want to help with the good work that the Heart and Stroke Foundation is doing to raise awareness and save lives. I found out the hard way and if I can help others become aware of heart disease, then I may help someone else have extra years with their family.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation has touched my life and I use their publications when talking to patients, do research on their website and their “Wally’s Heart”  initiative led the way to my attending a heart bypass operation as an observer.
I am lucky to be alive and I know that with the instruction on a new lifestyle and taking care of myself with the help of the very professional and caring staff at the Heart Foundation, I will reduce my likelihood of having another heart attack. “

The difficult we do immediately; The impossible takes a little longer.

Hermann Steyn, Somerset West
2 February 2010

„22 September 2002 ,  die sondag na kerk besluit  ons gesin om die dag te gaan ontspan langs die see. Wyl ek my kerk pak uitrek begin ek sleg te voel , simptome ; brand gevoel in bors met ‘n drukking , soos wanneer ‘n oliefant op jou sal staan , dit was 12 uur gewees , die simtome het al hoe meer versleg etc. , 12h45 is ek in die dokters spreek kamer  ( Dr. Walter Keuck van Vredenburg ) , na die pilletjie onder die tong en EKG lesing . Het dr. My  n kalmeer pil gegee , en rustig laat sit en die diagnose bekend gemaak . Die skokgolwe het oor my gevloei , 39jr jonk !!

Maandag 23ste Sept. middag 13h00 ondersoek Dr. Pierre Roux – Kardioloog Panorama Medic Clinic – Kaapstad  my ;  tydens die inspannings  EKG sak ek in mekaar , en word opgeneem in ICU vir onstabiele angina !! ‚ n Uur later kry ek weer ‚ n aanval  en my hart gaan staan !! Later die aand / middag toe ek my bewussyn herwin het , groet ‘n baie bekommerd span dokters en verpleeg personeel my , dit was long & hart masjiene om my bed gewees.
Die 24ste  doen hul ‘n aangeogram op my en bevind dat my hart are verstop en verbrokkel het . Die 25ste 10h00 is ek teater toe tot 19h00 die aand . n  ses kroon aar omleiding is gedoen , tydens die operasie het my longe plat geval etc . ‘n Baie bekommerde kardioloog & hart chirug Dr. de Wet Lubbe  het my vrou gegroet en vertel hul moes behoorlik soek na ‘n geskikte are in my lyf vir die omleiding en rekonstruksie van my hart are . Jou man lei aan veelvuldigge aar verkalking etc !!

Na 12dae in die hospitaal is ek huis toe , en is vir 4 maande afgeboek , met ligte diens vir 6maande  daarna . Die sielkundige impak was die ergste gewees vir my , skielik is jy n  patetiese vader met n klomp moenies in die lewe etc . Ek moes behoorlik weer leer loop van voor af . Met ‚n vrees van wanneer kry ek weer n aanval etc. Gemoeds versteurings was aan die orde van die dag .

Ek het my self begin bemagtig  : Ek het begin navorsing doen op die internet  oor hart kwale en oorsake . Die tydskrifte by die hospitaal gelees en toe ontdek ek die HEART tydskrif en skryf in  , en ontvang gereeld inligting per epos.

My leef wyse is soos volg aangepas met behulp van die HEART tyskrif:

• Elke dag loop ek 3 km. ( 3 keer per week doen ek 6 km , met interrvalle  van hardloop , dra ‘n Heart Montitor horlosie waarvan die target zones ingestel volgens die kardioloog . ( Target zones tussen 60% - 80% van hart se volle sterkte inspanning )
• Die stap oefeninge wissel ek af met n oefen fiets in die huis .
• Dus word my energie verbranding en in name gemonitor -  Gewig beheer .
• Eet 3 dae ‚n week vis , 2dae hoender , en naweke sal ek 150gram rooi vleis geniet ( Volstruis & Bees – Vermy skaap vleis ). Met slaai en groente.
• In die oggend eet ek , graan kosse etc. En vrugte en drink baie water deur die dag .
• Middag ete ; Provitas & Vis smeer of  met n blikkie Tuna Vis .
• Elke 3 maande besoek ek die kliniek vir ‘n vinger prik toets om risiko vaktore te meet . Al daai inligting word op n grafiek en data basis aangebring .
• 1 maal n jaar besoek ek die Kardioloog & Pulmonoloog en die data basis word dan saam gebring plus my laboratorium bloed toetse waar al my risko vaktore getoets is en sodoende kon die kardioloog vergelykings doen  en my kondisie bestuur daarvolgens.
• My cholestrol vlakke is gemid. 4 en die res van die ander risiko vaktore binne perke.
• Alle kosse wat ons aankoop word gemeet aan die hart stigting merk , die % vet inhoud van die 3 soorte vette ; Monosaturated , saturated en polyunsaturated  en cholesterol % .
• Ek geniet Whisky & Rooi wyn matig en vorm deel van my eet plan .
• Ek Rooibos en Heuning bos tee .
• My motto is om ten minste 80% van die 7 dae waarin daar 21 etes is ‘n laevet ete te geniet .
• Tydens feestye en verjaarsdag geniet ek ook die lekker dusse , maar met die verstande dat die volgende vdag weer  n lae vet dag sal wees.

Weens n gemodireerde lewens styl het my gesondheid wonderbaarlik herstel en dus geniet ek die afgelope 7 jaar weer ‘n kwaliteit lewe . My self vertroue is herstel en ek voel goed oor my self .

Die slotsom is: die pasient het die verantwoordelikheid om sy lewenswyse aan te pas , die dokters kan net hul bes doen , maar jy as pasient bepaal die volhoubaarheid en sukses van jou herstel en kwaliteit lewe na so groot mediese ingryping.“

Hermann Coetzee, Vredenburg

5 February 2010

“As a Pick n Pay dietitian, I receive many nutrition and product-related queries from customers and fellow dietitians. I find your website very useful. It is also a wonderful site to confidently refer journalists to assist them with compiling various articles. Your website is informative and easy to navigate. Well done!

I thoroughly enjoy and benefit from receiving your nutrition articles via email and file them all. They come in handy when I am researching different topics and again, handy to forward to journalists and colleagues.  I appreciate the fact that you are willing to share such well written and researched information.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to improving the health of South Africans!”

Many sincere thanks,

Teresa del Fabbro, Gauteng