Magna għall-qalb state of the art u Kampanja tal-Mard tal-Qalb jimmarkaw it-8 Anniversarju tal-Fondazzjoni Marigold f’Jum San Valentinu

L-ewwel Kampanja ta’ Għarfien Kardijaku li qatt saret f’Malta tnediet minn The Marigold Foundation (TMF) f’Jum San Valentinu, waqt li tfakkar ukoll it-8 anniversarju tal-fondazzjoni.

Biex tenfasizza l-impenn tagħha għal din il-kawża ġdida, TMF tat donazzjoni ta’ magna Echocardiogram high-end, Philips EPIQ CVx, lid-Dipartiment tal-Kardjoloġija fl-Isptar Mater Dei. Din is-sistema tal-ultrasound kardjovaskulari toffri immaġni avvanzata tal-qalb u tista’ tidentifika anke bidliet żgħar fl-ippumpjar tal-organu fi stadju bikri ħafna.

Filwaqt li enfasizza paragun impressjonanti, il-Kardjologu u membru tal-Bord Marigold is-Sur Robert Xuereb qal li filwaqt li Covid 19 ħasad il-ħajja ta’ madwar 500 persuna f’sena, l-attakki tal-qalb għadhom joqtlu aktar minn 1,000 persuna fis-sena f’Malta. Barraminhekk, il-kanċer u t-terapiji relatati ħafna drabi jaffettwaw il-funzjoni tal-qalb, u possibbilment iwasslu lill-pazjenti bil-kanċer li sussegwentement ibatu minn kundizzjonijiet tal-qalb.

Il-magna mogħtija llum se tgħin biex tipprevjeni u tittratta l-konsegwenzi kardjovaskulari tat-terapija tal-kanċer b’mod aktar f’waqtu. Il-magna se tintuża fil-Klinika tal-Kardjo-Onkoloġija li twaqqfet dan l-aħħar immexxija minn esperti kemm mid-Dipartiment tal-Kardjoloġija kif ukoll mid-Dipartiment tal-Onkoloġija.

Michelle Muscat, Chairperson u Ko-Fundatriċi ta’ TMF qalet li l-pilastri tal-fondazzjoni tas-saħħa, soċjali u edukazzjoni huma kollha mwettqa permezz ta’ inizjattiva bħal din.

Il-kampanja ta’ Għarfien Kardijaku għandha l-għan li teduka lill-pubbliku ġenerali dwar l-importanza li wieħed jibqa’ b’saħħtu u li jkun jaf is-sinjali ta’ wieħed mill-qattiela ewlenin fi gżiritna. Dan jifforma parti minn traċċa edukattiva permezz tas-serje ta’ kampanji ta’ Marigold. Barraminhekk, fondi li jinġabru permezz ta’ ġbir ta’ fondi pubbliċi qed jintużaw biex jaqdu lill-istess pubbliku ġenerali meta u fejn l-aktar għandu bżonnu.

Is-Sinjura Muscat qalet li l-Fondazzjoni Marigold temmen fl-avvanz ta’ kull ċittadin f’dan il-pajjiż u fit-titjib tal-ħajja ta’ kulħadd permezz ta’ għarfien, edukazzjoni u servizzi ta’ appoġġ biex b’hekk ikun żgurat li l-Għanijiet ta’ Żvilupp Sostenibbli sostnuti min-Nazzjonijiet Uniti jintlaħqu permezz tal-ħidma sfiqa ta’ organizzazzjonijiet volontarji bħal The Marigold Foundation.

Prezenti ghal din l-okkazjoni kien hemm ukoll is-Sinjura Celia Falzon, CEO Mater Dei, Dott. Nick Refalo, Chairman tad-Dipartiment tal- Onkologija, Dott. Alice May Moore, Cardiology Resident Specialist, lead in Cardio-Oncology,

Dott. Jeremy Fleri Soler, Cardiology Higher Specialist Trainee, b’interess specjali fil- Cardio-Oncology u is-Sinjura Michelle Cassar, Charge Nurse, Cardiac Lab.

Il-Kampanja għall-Għarfien Kardijaku tibda mit-Tnejn 14 ta’ Frar sal-Erbgħa 16 ta’ Frar fil-qalba ta’ Triq ir-Repubblika, il-Belt Valletta fejn il-pubbliku ġenerali huwa mistieden iżur u jitgħallem jieħu ħsieb innifsu u kif jipprevjeni mwiet bikrija. Il-kampanja hija organizzata minn The Marigold Foundation b’kollaborazzjoni mas-Soċjetà Maltija tal-Kardjoloġija u bl-appoġġ tal-Mużew tal-Arkeoloġija.

State of the Art Heart Machine and a Heart Disease Campaign mark the 8th Anniversary of  The Marigold Foundation on St. Valentine’s Day

The first ever Cardiac Awareness Campaign in Malta was launched by The Marigold Foundation (TMF) on St Valentine’s Day, also marking the foundation’s 8th anniversary.

To emphasise its committment to this new cause, TMF donated a state of the art high end Echocardiogram machine, a Philips EPIQ CVx, to the Department of Cardiology at Mater Dei Hospital. This cardiovascular ultrasound system offers advanced imaging of the heart and can identify even small changes in the pumping of the organ at a very early stage.

Highlighting a striking comparison, Cardiologist and Marigold Board member Mr. Robert Xuereb said that while Covid 19 took the lives of approximately 500 persons in a year, heart attacks still kill over 1,000 persons annually in Malta.  Apart from this, cancers and their related therapies most often affect the function of the heart, possibly leading cancer patients to  subsequently suffer from heart conditions.

The machine donated today will help prevent and treat the cardiovascular consequences of cancer therapy in a more timely manner. The machine will be used in the recently set up Cardio-Oncology Clinic led by experts from both the Department of Cardiology and the Department of Oncology.

Michelle Muscat, Chairperson and Co-Founder of TMF stated that the foundation’s pillars of health, social and education are all fulfilled through such an initiative.

The Cardiac Awareness campaign aims to educate the general public on the importance of staying healthy and knowing the signs of one of the major killers on the island. This forms part of an educational trail through Marigold’s series of campaigns. Apart from this, funds that are gathered through public fundraising are being used to serve the same general public when and where it needs it most.

Mrs Muscat said that The Marigold Foundation believes in the advancement of every citizen in this country and in bettering everyone’s lives through knowledge, education and support services thus ensuring that the Sustainable Development Goals advocated for by the United Nations are reached through the hard work of voluntary organisations such as The Marigold Foundation.

Present for the press conference were Ms Celia Falzon, CEO Mater Dei, Dr Nick Refalo, Chairman Department of Oncology,

Dr Alice May Moore, Cardiology Resident Specialist, lead in Cardio-Oncology, Dr Jeremy Fleri Soler, Cardiology Higher Specialist Trainee, with special interest in Cardio-Oncology and Ms Michelle Cassar, Charge Nurse, Cardiac Lab.

The Cardiac Awreness Campaign runs from Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th in the heart of Republic Street, Valletta where the general public is invited to visit and learn to take care of one self and how to prevent early deaths.  The campaign is organised by The Marigold Foundation in collaboration with the Maltese Cardiac Society and with the support of the Museum of Archaeology.