#HeartBeatGhana
Donation protected
Our #HeartbeatGhana Campaign
Ghana urgently needs world class facilities to diagnose and treat coronary heart disease. In 2016 this is considered basic in Europe, Australia, the United States, Canada, etc. But not in Sub-Saharan Africa and that has to change! This Part 1 of the campaign will raise enough funds to conduct a feasibility study, work on the design and begin to implement the creation of a cardio-thoracic laboratory that will allow doctors to successfully treat heart disease in Ghana. My friends, this is not an option. It has to happen!
Please give to this campaign. For those less fortunate than us, it will mean the difference between life and death.
The Back Story
On the morning of Friday, June 3rd 2016, I got a distressed phone call telling me that my friend David was having a heart attack in Accra, Ghana. He couldn't come to the UK and there was nowhere to treat him in Ghana, so I grabbed my friend Nick (he's a world class cardiologist) and we jumped on the next plane to Accra. Nick operated on David in Osu, Accra using facilities that were less than ideal(!) but Nick is an awesome doctor and the op was a success. Now, David is recovering at home.
Here's a video I made on my iPhone just before Nick operated on Sunday afternoon, 5 June 2016. He is concerned about the operating conditions but he is also cool as ice.
It was an incredible day and the operation was a success. Seeing David back home with his family was one of the best moments of my life.
On the flight back I wrote this blog: They Always Say It's Impossible. Until It's Done!. When it went viral, I got thousands of responses and even got interviewed with Nick on Ghana's Joy FM radio. (The UK Home Office reversed its decision on David's visa so I wrote this piece: An Apology from the UK Home Office and a Change of Heart!)
This campaign is in response to all those messages.
A Billion People
Long story short, there are a billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa. A significant number are just like David; they have heart disease and no way of getting it diagnosed or treated. For 99.9%, it is inconceivably expensive to travel to Europe or India or the US.
They shouldn't have to travel anywhere! But that's the norm and it's unacceptable! I wrote another article: Where the Magic Happens! If you don't read any of the others, please just read that one.
The Campaign (#HeartBeatGhana)
This campaign is to raise enough money to kickstart a project. This fund will be used for the following purposes:
1. Provide the initial "seed capital" in advance of a much bigger fundraise for the construction of world class heart diagnostics and treatment facilities in Ghana. Seed capital is what you need to get the project off the ground. When you have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (a #BHAG) you have to start somewhere. Ghana is the perfect place to do that. The responses and commitment have been overwhelming!
Things that need to be paid for include:
Feasibility study of how and where to create a top flight cardiothoracic centre;
Design the centre;
Cost of paying for people to work on this project;
Professional Advisors;
Essential Travel and Accomodation;
Other Miscellaneous Essentials
All funds raised will be used solely for this purpose above. Nothing else.
The sooner we can raise funding, the sooner this project can begin. It's a small step, but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with that single step.
I am so thankful for the responses to my blogs. From a lady doctor in Ghana's Brong-Ahafo region (who longs to see healthy hearts in Ghana and neighbouring countries), to Ian, a financier in the City of London who was so moved that he pledged £1,000. All those tears must mean something. If they mean that we can stop people dying for want of knowledge, diagnosis and treatment, then let's do this thing!
#HeartBeatGhana
Ghana urgently needs world class facilities to diagnose and treat coronary heart disease. In 2016 this is considered basic in Europe, Australia, the United States, Canada, etc. But not in Sub-Saharan Africa and that has to change! This Part 1 of the campaign will raise enough funds to conduct a feasibility study, work on the design and begin to implement the creation of a cardio-thoracic laboratory that will allow doctors to successfully treat heart disease in Ghana. My friends, this is not an option. It has to happen!
Please give to this campaign. For those less fortunate than us, it will mean the difference between life and death.
The Back Story
On the morning of Friday, June 3rd 2016, I got a distressed phone call telling me that my friend David was having a heart attack in Accra, Ghana. He couldn't come to the UK and there was nowhere to treat him in Ghana, so I grabbed my friend Nick (he's a world class cardiologist) and we jumped on the next plane to Accra. Nick operated on David in Osu, Accra using facilities that were less than ideal(!) but Nick is an awesome doctor and the op was a success. Now, David is recovering at home.
Here's a video I made on my iPhone just before Nick operated on Sunday afternoon, 5 June 2016. He is concerned about the operating conditions but he is also cool as ice.
It was an incredible day and the operation was a success. Seeing David back home with his family was one of the best moments of my life.
On the flight back I wrote this blog: They Always Say It's Impossible. Until It's Done!. When it went viral, I got thousands of responses and even got interviewed with Nick on Ghana's Joy FM radio. (The UK Home Office reversed its decision on David's visa so I wrote this piece: An Apology from the UK Home Office and a Change of Heart!)
This campaign is in response to all those messages.
A Billion People
Long story short, there are a billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa. A significant number are just like David; they have heart disease and no way of getting it diagnosed or treated. For 99.9%, it is inconceivably expensive to travel to Europe or India or the US.
They shouldn't have to travel anywhere! But that's the norm and it's unacceptable! I wrote another article: Where the Magic Happens! If you don't read any of the others, please just read that one.
The Campaign (#HeartBeatGhana)
This campaign is to raise enough money to kickstart a project. This fund will be used for the following purposes:
1. Provide the initial "seed capital" in advance of a much bigger fundraise for the construction of world class heart diagnostics and treatment facilities in Ghana. Seed capital is what you need to get the project off the ground. When you have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (a #BHAG) you have to start somewhere. Ghana is the perfect place to do that. The responses and commitment have been overwhelming!
Things that need to be paid for include:
Feasibility study of how and where to create a top flight cardiothoracic centre;
Design the centre;
Cost of paying for people to work on this project;
Professional Advisors;
Essential Travel and Accomodation;
Other Miscellaneous Essentials
All funds raised will be used solely for this purpose above. Nothing else.
The sooner we can raise funding, the sooner this project can begin. It's a small step, but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with that single step.
I am so thankful for the responses to my blogs. From a lady doctor in Ghana's Brong-Ahafo region (who longs to see healthy hearts in Ghana and neighbouring countries), to Ian, a financier in the City of London who was so moved that he pledged £1,000. All those tears must mean something. If they mean that we can stop people dying for want of knowledge, diagnosis and treatment, then let's do this thing!
#HeartBeatGhana
Organizer
Dawid Konotey-Ahulu
Organizer