Seven new survivors added to ‘Heart Heroes’ wall

Along a quiet stretch of an arterial corridor of the George Town Hospital, you will find a wall of ‘heroes’, whose images serve as silent testament to a hard-fought battle against heart disease – the number one cause of death in the Cayman Islands.

Dubbed ‘Heart Heroes’, the diverse group of individuals featured on the wall include people of all ages, from toddlers to seniors, and a range of professions from white-collar workers to elite athletes. Their inclusion serves as a subtle reminder that heart disease has no regard for a person’s age or status in life.

On Wednesday, 2 April, the pictures of seven new heart heroes were unveiled.

The youngest was that of Josiah Litchmore, a 2-year-old boy who was born with a hole in his heart, while the oldest was Burns Rutty, a 93-year-old retiree who had completed a minimally invasive heart valve replacement surgery.

Other new heart heroes include Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, who suffered a mini heart attack in November 2022, Reva Rich-Bodden, Erica-Simone Powell, Sean Collins and Liam St. John Maxwell.

“We are here today to help raise awareness about the prevalence of heart disease and the need for more people to get checked out when they begin to show symptoms,” said Suzy Soto, to a group of approximately two dozen people comprising survivors and supporters at the unveiling of the new pictures.

Soto, the former chair of the Cayman Heart Foundation, highlighted the efforts made by the non-profit – previously known as the Cayman Heart Fund – over the decades to raise awareness within the community, including installing hundreds of defibrillators in public places.

‘When in doubt, get checked out’

Kevin Walter, a director of the foundation since 2022 and who has volunteered with the non-profit since 2014, spoke of his diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This genetic illness causes a thickening of the left chamber of the heart.

“One in 500 people have it,” said Watler. “There are lots of people in Cayman who actually would have it. We have … had young athletes pass away from the same condition. So, the most important thing one can do is listen to their body.”

According to the Cayman Islands Compendium of Statistics, cardiovascular disease was the number one cause of death in 2022. Of the 278 deaths recorded that year, 75 people died from cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke.

“It’s the same thing, whether it’s cancer or cardiac-related … the most important thing is to listen to your body. If you have any doubt, just get it checked out,” said Watler.

Common signs and symptoms

According to the Cayman Heart Foundation, people experiencing a form of heart disease may show the following signs and symptoms:

Gender differences in symptoms

The Cayman Heart Foundation says while both men and women can experience chest pain during a heart attack, women are more likely to have atypical symptoms, such as: