Thank you. You are at the heart of all we do.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital disorder, affecting one in every 100 babies. Despite this, there is an overall lack of understanding of the consequences of CHD for babies as they grow up, and more than half of those living with CHD get lost in the system when their care is transferred from a children’s hospital to an adult one. The rate of serious complications is more than three times higher if people living with CHD do not receive ongoing, expert care.

Your kindness has helped launch the Congenital Heart Alliance of Australia and New Zealand (CHAANZ) CHD Registry, run in conjunction with Auckland City Hospital, Starship Children’s Hospital Auckland. This Registry will collect demographic and clinical data on CHD cases in children and adults from sites across New Zealand and Australia, helping to ask and answer questions about the impact of CHD and how to ensure the best possible medical care and social support is provided to people living with CHD.

Over a quarter of a million people in New Zealand have been diagnosed with diabetes, and this number is rising daily. Sadly, people living with diabetes have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and complications, such as an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Platelets (blood cells that control bleeding) are critical in the development of cardiovascular complications, but there is no reliable way to measure their reactivity to identify patients who are most likely to suffer a devastating event like a heart attack and stroke.

Your loyal support has funded our research into platelets and how they act in people with diabetes, via a collaboration with the University of Auckland. This brings us one step closer to developing a way to identify and monitor people who are at risk of cardiovascular complications, and potentially identify new treatment methods to protect them from heart attack, stroke and other life-altering cardiovascular events.