Can you believe that 2022 is almost over? As this year comes to an end, we mark another year of providing life-saving care ForHearts in need. Our mission to provide implantable cardiovascular devices for those who cannot afford them would not be possible without the generous support and work of our ForHearts community.
Whether you are new to our mission or looking for a way to become more involved, #GivingTuesday (November 29) is the perfect opportunity to contribute to our mission of saving lives.
Why You Should Give
Every year, an estimated 2 – 3 million people around the world die because they cannot afford pacemaker surgery. This life-saving surgery can cost upwards of $50,000 or more, making it too costly for many people in developing countries. However, we are able to provide the procedure for a fraction of the standard cost—as little as $585.
How is that even possible? With the generosity and selflessness of our ForHearts community, which includes our board of directors, staff, Heart Center doctors, nurses, in-country volunteers, device manufacturers, sponsors, and donors just like YOU, we are able to make our life-saving work possible!
Every $585 we raise can save a person’s life. Furthermore, $585 covers more than the cost of the device and implantation surgery – it includes the life-long monitoring and follow up care that every pacemaker recipient needs. ForHearts patients are patients for life!
Who Your Giving Helps
Since 1984, we have helped save over 17,000 lives in more than 20 countries. The heartbeat of ForHearts is our international Heart Centers. Currently we have Heart Centers in six countries: Guatemala, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, the Philippines, Honduras, and Paraguay.
Our Heart Center operations are unique in every country. They range from a volunteer-staffed offices that connect prospective patients with a ForHearts medical team, to medical centers where physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals donate their time and skill to care for ForHearts patients. Regardless of size or location, every Heart Center depends on all these individuals and entities coming together to provide life-saving heart procedures and lifelong patient care. We rely on much-needed support (in the form of monetary contributions and labor) to make the work of our Heart Centers possible.
That work is saving lives around the globe. In Mexico, it is lives like Arturo Seguro’s, a seven-year-old boy suffering from a heart condition who is now a thriving young man in his 20s. And it’s Rosario Torres Hernandez, who, at 77, recently received his eighth cardiac device from ForHearts. It’s the 568 patients saved so far through the work of our three Heart Centers in the Philippines, including Michael Jake D. Totanes, who received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to treat his Brugada syndrome, a rare and life-threatening heart arrhythmia.
How You Can Give
While any day (and every day!) is a great day to give, when you donate to ForHearts this GivingTuesday you joining together with others as part of a global giving movement, and we are making your GivingTuesday donations go even further!
Dr. Thomas Crawford, Chairman of ForHearts Worldwide, will be matching this year’s GivingTuesday donations, along with other members of our Board. Many companies offer corporate matching to their employees’ charitable giving, especially for GivingTuesday. Check with your employer to see if they will be doing a GivingTuesday donation match, or encourage them to join ForHearts as a corporate sponsor as part of their GivingTuesday initiative. If all this “matching” has you inspired, we also encourage YOU to match donations on GivingTuesday. You can set the amount—as much as you are able to give—and amplify the impact of your donation ForHearts in need.
We are making it even easier for you to give on GivingTuesday with our dedicated donation portal through Givebutter. In one tap, you will be able to donate with your preferred payment—credit card, Venmo, or PayPal. In addition, GooglePay, or ApplePay will be available for use on mobile devices.
We believe our giving is greater when we do it together, so be sure to join us on our Facebook and Instagram for GivingTuesday, November 29. We will be providing updates on donation matching opportunities and tracking our progress toward our donation goal. Join the conversation and share your own story of giving using #GivingTuesday.
Be sure to follow us across our social platforms in the days leading up to GivingTuesday as we share more on all the ways you can give and make a difference ForHearts in need.