Stories from the Heart

Could high blood pressure be the hidden force behind life-threatening heart conditions?    In this powerful episode of Stories from the Heart , we hear from Nathan Krepp, a self-described workaholic from Western Australia. With high blood pressure and a poor diet, Nathan had already lost 5% of his heart function due to minor heart attacks. But in 2020, an even more dramatic event unfolded, which s...

What would you do if your life changed in an instant?   For Dr Geoff Lester, a promising economics student and basketball referee, it all began with dizziness and a tingling sensation during a game. At just 24 , he was on the brink of death from a rare genetic heart disease he didn't even know he had. After four open-heart surgeries and two strokes, Geoff's life took a completely new direction. No...

In this episode of Stories from the Heart, we delve into the critical role of genetic counselling in understanding and addressing inherited heart diseases.    We speak to Associate Professor Jodie Ingles, a leading cardiac genetic counsellor and head of the Clinical Genomics Laboratory at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, who shares her insights and expertise about the significance of gene...

In this episode , we travel to Barunga - a remote town in the Northern Territory, and the birthplace of a groundbreaking initiative poised to transform heart health in remote Aboriginal communities: the Remote Laundries project.     We delve into the stark realities of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and the ingenious solutions being crafted to confront its profound impact. Through interviews with s...

In this episode , we speak with former Medical Director for the Boston Marathon , Dr Aaron Baggish , who takes us back to t he Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, recounting his harrowing experience as one of the first responders on the scene.    From the chaos of the explosions to the impromptu trauma care provided amidst the devastation, D r Baggish shares his insights into resilience, trauma, and...

What happens when you've committed your life to improving the cardiovascular health of others, but you're one day confronted with the sudden cardiac arrest of a loved one ?   In this episode of "Stories from the Heart," we delve into the harrowing experience of Laurie and P rof Mark Haykowsky as they recount the events surrounding Laurie's sudden cardiac arrest.    Mark's perspective, both as a ca...

Sudden cardiac arrest – where the heart suddenly stops beating – is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 50 and under. Worryingly, it can strike even seemingly healthy people, like 31-year-old Bryan Maris, an A-Grade cyclist who passed away in his sleep. Bryan's wife, Jessica Maris, is now working to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and the need for more research in this space...