Jayne Helbers

Week Four

95 to Zero – Living Well With Heart Disease

When I look back on the stories I've shared, I see four different lessons:

Listen to your body.

Make healthy lifestyle choices where you can.

Know your risk factors and get regular health checks.

If a heart condition is found, work with your healthcare team and stay on top of treatment.

Every 95 minutes, an Australian dies from a heart attack.

I'm running to support the Heart Foundation's work in research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support for people living with heart disease.

If you've followed my family's stories over the past few weeks, I'd love your support.

Every donation—large or small—helps fund the research and programs that are giving Australians more healthy years, more family memories and more time with the people they love.

Please consider supporting my Run to Zero challenge and helping turn 95 to Zero.

❤️ 95 to Zero – Prevention Saves Lives ❤️

So far, I've shared stories about my grandfathers who lost their lives to heart disease. 

This week, I want to share a different story. 

My Dad's story. 

At 73, Dad felt well. 

He had no chest pain, and no obvious symptoms that would have made him think he had heart disease. 

But he did have some risk factors: 

❤️ High blood pressure (well controlled with treatment)
❤️ Type 2 diabetes
❤️ A history of smoking
❤️ Being overweight 

❤️ Family history 

Because his GP was monitoring those risk factors, he was referred to a heart specialist for further investigation.

An angiogram revealed significant blockages in two arteries and he required two stents immediately. 

Without those investigations, we may never have known. 

Today, Dad continues to have regular reviews and monitoring. More recently, doctors identified fluid around his heart and he is undergoing further investigations, including another angiogram next month, to ensure any issues are identified and treated early. 

His story reminds me that heart disease doesn't always announce itself. 

Sometimes there are no warning signs. 

Sometimes the most important thing you can do is attend your regular health checks and follow up when your doctor recommends further testing. 

The goal isn't simply to find disease. 

It's to find it early enough that something can be done about it. 

For my grandfathers, the outcome was heartbreaking. 

My Dad's story is different from my grandfathers' stories.They teach the same lesson in different ways.For my grandfathers, heart disease wasn't identified until it was too late.For my Dad, regular health checks identified the risk early enough for doctors to act.The result? More birthdays, more family dinners and more time together.

That's why I'm participating in 95 to Zero for the Heart Foundation. 

Every 95 minutes, an Australian dies from a heart attack. 

Research, education, prevention and early detection are helping change that story for more families. 

🏃‍♀️ I'm running to support that work and would love your help. 

If you're able, please consider donating to my 95 to Zero fundraiser. Every donation supports research and programs that help Australians identify risks earlier, access treatment sooner and live longer, healthier lives. 

❤️ Because sometimes a routine health check can save a life. 

❤️ 95 to Zero – Another Reason I Run ❤️

This week, I'm running in memory of another man who left us far too soon – my Grandpa ‘Bob’. 

I was just 7 years old when he died. 

There were no warning signs that we knew about. No long illness. No final goodbye. 

One night he went to sleep, and he never woke up. 

We were told that half of his heart stopped beating while he slept. He was only 53 years old. 

Grandpa was a mechanic in the 1980s – a hardworking man who provided for his family and spent most of his life putting others first. Like many men of his generation, he worked hard, rarely complained, and didn't always put his own health at the top of the list. 

He also made some lifestyle choices, including smoking, that we now know can significantly increase the risk of heart disease. 

His death is a reminder that heart disease doesn't just affect "older people" and it doesn't always announce itself with obvious symptoms. 

Today, we know much more about how to reduce our risk through healthy lifestyle choices, including: 

❤️ Not smoking or vaping
❤️ Being physically active
❤️ Maintaining a healthy weight
❤️ Eating a heart-healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruit and whole foods
❤️ Managing blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes
❤️ Having regular health checks with your GP 

These simple steps can't prevent every heart attack, but they can make a real difference. 

Every 95 minutes, an Australian dies from a heart attack. 

My Grandpa was one of them. 

That's why I'm taking part in 95 to Zero and raising funds for the Heart Foundation to support life-saving research, prevention programs and education. 

🏃‍♀️ Every kilometre I run is for families like mine. 

If you're able to, I'd love your support. Every donation—no matter the size—helps move us closer to a future where fewer families receive the devastating news that someone they love isn't coming home. 

❤️ Please consider donating and helping me make every kilometre count. 

Why This Matters to Me

Heart disease has impacted my family in a very real way. 

My Grandpa Lindsay lived with heart disease for much of his later life. As a little girl, I remember seeing the large scar running down his chest with the cross-stitch marks from his open-heart surgery. At the time, it looked scary, and I didn't really understand what it meant. 

What I learned later was that Grandpa had missed the warning signs of previous heart attacks. By the time he sought help, he had suffered a more severe heart attack and underwent a double bypass in the early 1980s. He was only in his early 60s and was forced to retire after surgery. 

Years later, his heart had to work harder and harder. He developed congestive heart failure and passed away not long after my Granny died. He was just 74½ years old. 

His story is one of the reasons I'm taking part in 95 to Zero. 

Every 95 minutes, an Australian dies from a heart attack. Many of these deaths could potentially be prevented through earlier recognition of risk factors, regular health checks, and seeking medical advice when something doesn't feel right. 

🩺 Some simple health checks that can help identify heart disease risk factors include: ✅ Blood pressure checks
✅ Cholesterol testing
✅ Blood glucose (diabetes) screening
✅ Weight and waist circumference measurements
✅ Heart health assessments completed with your GP 

Most importantly, listen to your body. Don't ignore symptoms, and don't put off health checks because you're "too busy" or "feel fine".