World Heart Day – 29 September 2023

Read our World Heart Day media release

Mrs Hinch urges EVERY parent to know Kawasaki Disease: the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the western world

This World Heart Day, 29 September 2023, Societi Foundation, the UK Foundation for Kawasaki Disease, is campaigning to get this disease known. Throughout the UK and Europe, a growing number of children’s lives each year are being devastated by Kawasaki Disease – the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the western world, yet this disease remains little known and poorly understood.

Read more in our media release here.

World Heart Day Statement – Friday 29 September 2023

On World Heart Day, we are calling on everyone to help get Kawasaki Disease known – the #1 cause of acquired heart disease in children in the western world.

Children affected by Kawasaki Disease are at risk of being overlooked, with devastating consequences – with hospital systems worldwide under sustained pressure since the pandemic. Awareness of Kawasaki Disease is urgent; children must get the rapid care they need.

Our Key Messages:

1. Kawasaki Disease is the #1 cause of acquired heart disease in children in most continents – let’s get Kawasaki Disease KNOWN
2. Low awareness of Kawasaki Disease means it’s often initially misdiagnosed, putting children’s hearts at risk of lifetime damage!
3. One in five children affected develop serious lifelong heart damage

Children’s Hearts at Risk

On World Heart Day, Societi, the UK Foundation for Kawasaki Disease is highlighting the urgent need for investment in child health, including public awareness and investment to raise awareness of Kawasaki Disease – the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the western world. Kawasaki Disease has now overtaken rheumatic fever in many parts of the world, as the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.

Awareness of Kawasaki Disease has never been more urgent. Children affected by Kawasaki Disease in the UK may not get the urgent care they need unless doctors and parents can rapidly recognise the illness, as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to place real strain on healthcare systems worldwide.

Kawasaki Disease is little known, but very serious: it is fatal in up to 3% of cases if not treated and about a quarter of all children affected will have some heart damage. Societi Foundation research shows a present rate of up to 1,000 hospital admissions in the UK alone for Kawasaki Disease each year. Once considered a rare disease, incidence is rapidly rising globally and it is now increasingly common. Low levels of awareness mean delays in diagnosis and a direct, adverse and lifelong burden on affected children – with a rapidly growing number of children living with heart disease and needing specialist, costly care for life.

Societi Foundation Trustee and internationally renowned Kawasaki Disease expert, Professor Robert Tulloh said “Kawasaki Disease presents a growing threat to children’s heart health, worldwide. Doctors need to be alert to Kawasaki Disease and treat it rapidly if it is suspected. It is important that childhood illnesses such as Kawasaki Disease are not missed at this difficult time for health services and for at a time financial strain for so many. If children, especially those under 1 year, have a persistent fever – Kawasaki Disease should be considered early as it needs urgent treatment. in order to avoid long term complications”

On World Heart Day, Societi Foundation is calling for the serious threat of Kawasaki Disease to be recognised and for commitment to public investment to protect tiny hearts. For too long, Kawasaki Disease has silently been devastating lives – and thousands of people live today with the all-too-often severe impact of Kawasaki Disease. We can change this – but global recognition and a global response is needed.

World Heart Day 2023

29th September – WORLD HEART DAY!! This is simply a MASSIVE day in our Societi Foundation calendar, second only to International Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day on 26 January!
Every year the World Heart Federation runs a global campaign to raise awareness of heart health, and the importance of looking after our hearts. Each year we work together on World Heart Day to raise awareness of the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the UK and the western world – Kawasaki Disease.

This year we are once again partnering with the World Heart Federation on World Heart Day to get Kawasaki Disease known! That is our number one priority.
We’re on a mission to tell everyone about Kawasaki Disease, and that includes supporting doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to recognise and understand Kawasaki Disease too.

Raising funds to reach the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Conference !

All of the funds raised through our World Heart Day campaign this year will go directly into helping Societi reach the RCGP conferece in October 2023!

Can you help us reach more GPs? PLEASE help us hit our target!!

Get Involved in Protecting Tiny Hearts!

World Heart Day is the perfect time to raise awareness of Kawasaki Disease and protect tiny hearts! So, why not get involved? Help us make plans, take part, raise funds and let’s make World Heart Day a HUGE success.

❤️❤️ Have a – – Kawasaki conversation over coffee and cake – – in your local community, or just with friends! What a brilliant excuse (if we needed one…) for eating CAKE!!! Whilst raising funds to protect tiny hearts!

❤️❤️ Or why not hold a – – wear red day – – at work – or at child’s school/nursery? Make a statement in RED to help fundraise and get this sinister disease known!

It’s EASY to get involved! Just like 1, 2, 3!

1. Choose your event and pick your date!

2. Click here for your wear red fundraising pack and posters, or for your coffee, cake and Kawasaki conversation fundraising pack and posters click here!

3. Create your JustGiving fundraising page here

And you’re set to go, to protect tiny hearts!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Get in touch and let us know your plans – we love to hear what everyone is up to for World Heart Day. We’ll support you wherever we can. And, if you need help with your World Heart Day event for Kawasaki Disease awareness – or if you’ve got any questions, comments or feedback about World Heart Day 2023, just get in touch! We’re always happy to help wherever we can!

Societi’s World Heart Day Virtual 10K – do it your way!

Of course, our flagship annual Virtual 10K event is back for 2023 – BIGGER and BETTER than ever! Run, walk, hop, skip or jump your way to Kawasaki Disease Awareness – the Societi Virtual 10K – do it your way!

❤️ Entry costs £25 and includes a Societi t-shirt and our brand new water bottle to help you raise vital awareness of Kawasaki Disease whilst completing your walk/run in your community.

❤️ AND…..All participants will also receive a special 50% discount code to use in our Societi shop! 

❤️ AND free entry into a lucky dip for a chance to win prizes including wristbands, stationery and a Societi hoodie!

SIGN UP HERE! Just complete the form and follow the link to pay for your entry

Why not download our Societi Virtual 10K poster pack and get your community involved! Just click the image below to download!

If you’ve already entered, why not set up a JustGiving fundraising page where your friends and family can sponsor you to complete the Societi Active Virtual 10K. You can set up a page here.

Kawasaki Disease Podcasts – Kawasaki Disease Family Stories and Living with Kawasaki Disease into adulthood

As we work to raise awareness of Kawasaki Disease and keep it high on the radar of clinicians as we go into autumn and winter, Societi will be releasing a series of podcasts where supporters tell their family stories about Kawasaki Disease and about living with Kawasaki Disease as an adult. We hope these podcasts will help families who are affected and individuals who have lived with the affects of Kawasaki Disease into their adult lives.

The podcasts will be released on 29 September – WORLD HEART DAY – ***watch this space!***