Bronnach Pemberton and Rebecca Breslin have both been shortlisted for the British Heart Foundation’s annual Heart Hero Awards.
The awards recognise the drive and determination of individuals and groups who are helping to fight heart disease.
Bronnach, who had eight heart attacks soon after she gave birth to her third child, is now living with heart failure. That hasn’t stopped her helping both Beat SCAD and the BHF to raise awareness of spontaneous coronary artery dissection and heart failure. Watch her story here
Bronnach is one of three finalists for the Influencing Award in the North.
Rebecca, Chair of Beat SCAD, is a finalist for the Midlands Innovation Award. Following a SCAD heart attack in 2012 she found other survivors online and persuaded her consultant Dr David Adlam to start researching the condition. In November 2015 she co-founded Beat SCAD to further the aims of raising awareness, supporting patients, family and friends and raising money for research. See more about the road to research here.
Rebecca said: “What a wonderful surprise to be nominated for a British Heart Foundation Heart Hero Award. I am truly honoured to be shortlisted for the final three in the Innovation category for the Midlands!
“Thinking back to 2012, it was such a shock when I had a heart attack at age 34. To be told it was a rare kind of heart attack and the cause was unknown just added further distress. As I found other survivors of spontaneous coronary artery dissection online, I soon started to appreciate how lucky I was to be part of an incredible patient community and I knew exactly what needed to be done: find the answers about SCAD!”
She continued: “The BHF are tremendously supportive of our mission for answers: providing funding for the SCAD research project in Leicester, creating SCAD information materials and videos, sharing patient stories.
“It would be fantastic to be presented with a Heart Hero Award… fingers crossed!”
The winners will be announced at the BHF Supporter Conferences in Leeds (5 July) and Birmingham (29 June). Beat SCAD wishes both Bronnach and Rebecca the best of luck.
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