The Irish Heart Foundation would like to share some events and activities with you that will be coming up over the next few months.

This Autumn the Irish Heart Foundation and it’s Patient Champion community, will bring women’s heart issues before the Irish Heart Foundation Oireachtas Heart and Stroke group, in Leinster House.

The Oireachtas group, formed in April 2025, comprises over 60 political figures who have agreed to politically champion the issue of heart and stroke in Ireland. With 1 in 4 women dying of heart disease or stroke, and women being 6 times more likely to die of a cardiovascular issue than breast cancer, politicians and policymakers need to prioritise women’s heart health now to reduce the current high levels of illness and death from cardiovascular issues.

The Irish Heart Foundation Patient Champions Programme’s recruitment and training continues this Autumn, as do the many opportunities for its graduates to engage in patient advocacy opportunities at national level thereafter. This includes at, and in, political events, healthcare patient representation roles, research focus groups, medical presentations, policy submissions participation, strategy development, project co-design and national and local media engagement.

This programme, in addition to offering advocacy training, education and support to heart and stroke patients, has grown into a supportive advocacy community for patients, and one where opportunities to utilise their individual and collective patient voices has flourished.

If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a Patient Champion, please email ihfvolunteer@irishheart.ie

Monday 13^th October is World Thrombosis Day. To mark this important day, the Irish Heart Foundation Patient Support team is hosting an online information event from 12 noon to 1.30pm. This event is for anyone affected by thrombosis and is open to members of the public, patients and health care professionals.  The panel of four expert presenters includes:

• Dr Maeve Crowley, Consultant Haematologist, Cork University Hospital
• John Finnerty, thrombosis patient
• Dr Sinead Lynch, Senior Psychologist, The Mater Hospital
• Sinead O’Mahony, Pharmacist, St. Vincents University Hospital

Those interested in attending the event, can register here.

This year’s World Thrombosis Day challenge gets people moving and raises awareness from head to toe – literally!

It aims to get people involved through a creative video featuring the classic children’s song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”

We’d love you to give it a go.

Get creative, post your photos or videos and tag @IrishHeartFoundation #WTDay25 and #HeadToToeChallenge.

How to take part

• Create a short video featuring yourself doing the Head-to-Toe Challenge.
• Post on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for World Thrombosis Day
• Tag @IrishHeartFoundation #WTDay25 and #HeadToToeChallenge.

Get your colleagues, friends, and family members involved too!

Some inspiration…

• https://www.tiktok.com/@worldthrombosisday/video/7519568184542891295
• https://www.tiktok.com/@estevesjacque/video/7099237994795633962?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7509878709689648671

World Stroke Day 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 29^th October. To mark the day, the Irish Heart Foundation Patient Support team will be hosting a series of insightful talks throughout the week, featuring leading experts in stroke care and recovery.

We are delighted to welcome Professor Rónán Collins, Clinical Lead of the National Stroke Programme, as our keynote speaker. His talk will offer critical insights into the importance of secondary prevention – reducing the risk of recurrent strokes and improving long term outcomes.

Stay tuned to our social media channels and Eventbrite for updates and registration details. We’d love for you to join us.

On World Stroke Day, we will also launch our new resource for stroke survivors, families and carers ‘Step by step through stroke. This user-friendly resource provides helpful guidance to people affected by stroke. The booklet was co-developed with a panel of stroke survivors and carers as well as a team of medical experts. It is available in print and online at irishheart.ie.

Following on from the incredible success of last years’ event, our Heart Heroes Abseil Challenge will be coming back to the Generator Tower in Smithfield Square on Saturday, 1^st November.

Registration is free of charge and participants are asked to raise a minimum of €350 to help protect hearts in Ireland.

There are a limited number of spots left so if you or someone you know would like to be one of our caped crusaders and tackle the tower, just contact Jamie – jconway@irishheart.ie

Our “12 Dips in December” will be back this year and we are delighted to have Daybreak on board as a partner for the challenge.

Last year, over 1,600 people took on the challenge and raised an incredible €253k to support the services of the Irish Heart Foundation.

An exciting extra to this year’s challenge is the addition of an in-person dip which will be taking place on South Beach in Skerries on the 6^th of December.

Registration for this year’s challenge will open on the 1^st of November and if you would like more information, please contact Jamie – jconway@irishheart.ie