What started as a casual conversation, turned into a serious heart and stroke awareness campaign, with The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA (HSFSA) ending up as the biggest winner!
South Africans are at high risk for heart attacks, stroke and cancer, mainly as a result of poor lifestyle choices. The HSFSA provides some sobering statistics to back up this assertion.
In South Africa:
• one heart attack occurs every 8 to 12 minutes;
• 1 in 3 men and 1 in 4 women will have a heart condition before the age of 60;
• 1 in 6 men and 1 in 7 women will get cancer;
• one stroke occurs every six minutes;
• strokes rank as the third most common cause of death and is one of the most common causes of adult disability; and
• 6.3 million people suffer from hypertension, a major cause of heart attack and stroke.
Momentum Myriad’s statistics also confirm these facts: the highest claims for long-term risk products at Momentum are for heart attacks, stroke and cancer.
Unhealthy… and underinsured
“Even more concerning is the reality that South Africans are under-insured for death, disability and critical illness,” says Kevin Letord, Head of Risk Marketing at Momentum.
Research from the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) reveals that 160 000 income earners will pass away in 2011 and 52 000 earners could suffer total and permanent disability. This means that more than 212 000 families will face unanticipated financial hardship this year.
Inspired to action
These statistics became more than just casual topics for conversation at Momentum. “We felt it was our duty to do something radical to raise awareness of the need for South Africans to make lifestyle changes, and to adequately provide for their families, to manage these risks.”
This was the inspiration behind eight middle-aged Momentum employees running a grueling 750 km during the Momentum Big Heart 750 challenge to raise awareness and funds for HSFSA.
The Big Heart 750 team ran from Centurion to Durban to get South Africa’s attention and inspire people to take care of their own hearts - by getting check-ups, changing unhealthy lifestyles and donating to the HSFSA. During the six-day run, they overcame injuries, aches and pains, minus degree temperatures, steep hills and mountains, yet they consistently outran everyone’s expectations.
The team ran in relays, with each runner hitting the road for two sessions of 50 minutes each day, often starting at 5:15am. They kept each other motivated, with no one wanting to let the team down.
Groundswell of support
The Big Heart 750 team had professional support, with doctors and physiotherapists accompanying them on their journey down to Durban. They were prepared for the run by Lindsey Parry, the Official Coach for the Comrades Marathon Association and Head Sports Scientist at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria.
But the team could not have expected the groundswell of support their received from numerous unexpected corners.
Charné Bosman, professional runner and sponsored Nike athlete, joined a few of the runners on Day Two after hearing about the initiative. She has undergone her own battle with genetic high cholesterol, despite her healthy lifestyle as the winner of the Soweto marathon and Olympic marathon qualifier and wanted to get involved because it’s a cause close to her heart… literally.
“It was an honour to run with a top athlete like Charné and I also really enjoyed running with someone,” says Bertus Visser, Head of Momentum Distribution Services, who was motivated by the time spent with the professional athlete.
The runners had another surprise visitor on Day 5 – this time it was sponsored Nike athlete and 1995 Comrades marathon winner, Shaun Meiklejohn, who also holds 23 medals, of which five are gold. Shaun joined Bertie Nel, Head of Momentum Insurance Business Solutions, near the end of his run for a downhill stretch. “I was struggling a bit and it really helped me to have Shaun by my side, encouraging me to keep going,” says Bertie. Shaun also helped Rimesh Solari, Head of Momentum Insurance Claims, up the hills and encouraged him to keep on running after the Big Heart 750.
Open hands, big hearts...
The support the Big Heart 750 team received from the public and corporate South Africa was also overwhelming. The team set out to raise awareness and R500 000 for the HSFSA, and just over R185 000 raised from the public and corporate South Africa. With these big-hearted donations matched rand for rand by Momentum Myriad, who also made up the difference, the goal was achieved!
“We want to wholeheartedly thank the South African public, all our employees and sponsors - Nike, Budget and Dis-Chem Pharmacies - for getting behind the Big Heart 750 team with encouraging messages and generous donations,” says Letord.
Life changing
While the goal was to help others change their lives for the better, each one of the runners felt that the Big Heart 750 challenge had irrevocably changed their own lives and pushed their own mental barriers. They all plan to continue running and to also give serious attention to the other risk factors of heart and stroke disease, namely diet, stress and avoiding the use of tobacco.
“It’s been interesting seeing how your body reacts to a six-day event. Every day I was more uncertain about the next, but you just make it happen. One of the nicest things for me was starting out each run feeling stiff and barely able to walk, and then I just got into it,” says Stephen van Niekerk, Head of Momentum Myriad.
Bertie adds, “Over and above running for the cause, for me running is a lot like life. You’ve got your ups and your downs, and it’s how you cope with it that matters. You learn a lot about yourself”.
“It’s been tough, but awesome. I think we assume limitations on ourselves all too easily, but when it comes down to it, you can actually surprise yourself!” notes Rimesh.
Making a difference
“What these eight Momentum employees achieved is an incredible feat and also a testament to everyone’s ability to make a change. We hope this initiative will inspire people to make healthier choices and live healthier lives,” concludes Letord.
Read more about the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the risk factors for heart and stroke disease, and healthy lifestyles, and learn more about the Big Heart 750 runners’ experience on the blog page at www.bigheart750.co.za. You can also still follow Big Heart 750 on Facebook and Twitter.
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