Dev's Fundraising Page

The Auckland Marathon '08 is a big milestone for me - its going to be my first. I'm in no great shape, training's pretty tough but it's getting there. My goal is just to finish, and finish I will.

I can do this because I've got a normal heart, in fairly good condition. There's a lot of people who don't - about 16 of them die every day.

For a lot of them, its their own fault; bad habits, bad diet, no activity. Still, thats still a whole bunch of patients in hospitals, tied up GPs, inflated insurance premiums…and mourning loved ones. 40 percent of the people around you who pass on, would have been taken by heart disease.

I support the Heart Foundation's work. They help stop kids from becoming obese, unhealthy drains on the healthcare system, and help those who don't understand nutrition stay healthy anyway. When someone you care about has a heart attack or undergoes heart surgery, the Foundation will help them get back to their old self.

Most importantly, they fund research. The dollars they get are dollars they spend, money translated into knowledge that might save your life one day.

So, skip McDonald's this week, fatty, and spend that money instead on helping tackle a huge problem in NZ. Sponsor me, I'll train, I'll run, you can get the warm fuzzies from doing the right thing and laugh while you predict the distance at which I'll fall over, the Heart Foundation will get some good coin and the scientists can stay up all night saving your life and others.

Thanks!
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Here's the official lines:

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Each day 16 New Zealanders die as a result of coronary heart disease. That's one person every 90 minutes. And many of these deaths are premature and preventable.

Cardiovascular disease (heart, stroke & blood vessel disease) is the single leading cause of death in New Zealand. It causes 40 percent of all deaths annually in our country - making it more deadly than all forms of cancer.

The nature of who is affected by it is changing. New research shows that young adults in their 20s and 30s are being admitted to hospital for heart attacks more than ever before, and that this age group is dying at a faster rate than people of the same age in previous generations. Much of this change is due to unhealthy lifestyles - poor eating habits, lack of physical activity and being a smoker.

But the good news is that many risk factors for heart disease are preventable, if people make healthy lifestyle choices.

So, help me as I join the race to beat heart disease.

I've signed up as a Heart Racer to raise money to support The National Heart Foundation of New Zealand. By donating through my webpage you will be helping the Heart Foundation continue its vital work in research, cardiac rehabilitation, education programmes and resources.

I'll do all the hard work (train for and complete the event), but I really need you to make a difference to the hearts of New Zealanders.

So, please could you sponsor me?

Select the "Make a donation" button below. It’s simple, fast and totally secure and the money goes directly to the Heart Foundation’s bank account.

If you live in New Zealand your donation is tax deductible and a receipt will be issued.

So please help me today! And pass it on to your family and friends!

Many thanks for your support