KINGSTON, Jamaica — Partners Heart and Health (PHH) has proudly donated $50,000 to the I Have A Heart Foundation, founded by Abi-Gaye Smythe.

The donation was presented on September 29, World Heart Day 2024 and will support the foundation’s mission to raise awareness for heart disease, advocate for patients, and provide critical heart care resources across Jamaica.

Abi-Gaye Smythe expressed her gratitude for the contribution stating, “It will go a far way in helping with our operations. As a charity, we need funding to carry out the works we do and we’re happy that the PHH came to our aid. In these times when giving can feel distant or abstract, PHH chose to make a tangible difference. This adds to the encouragement to move forward with our mission of improving lives one heart at a time.”

Founder and Managing Director of the I Have A Heart Foundation, Abi-Gaye ‘Abz’ Smythe. (Photo contributed)

“We are hoping that more organisations will assist us with funding; the more funds we get, the more work we will be able to do,” Smythe said.

The I Have A Heart Foundation was established in 2013 after Abi-Gaye Smythe underwent her first cardiac surgery in 2012. Motivated by her personal experience, Smythe founded the organisation to shed light on the silent struggles of heart disease patients and to champion improved access to life-saving care.

Since its inception, the I Have A Heart Foundation has made significant strides in advocating for the needs of heart disease patients and creating greater awareness in the community. The foundation has completed several high school tours in Manchester, educating students about heart disease and its prevention. Plans are afoot to restart this impactful tour in 2025.

In partnership with the Organization for International Development (OID) in New York, and the University Hospital of the West Indies Cardiac Unit, the foundation has supported a cardiac mission which has so far provided free heart surgeries for 33 indigent patients.

The foundation has also hosted 12 blood drives, in collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Service, collecting over 300 units of blood — which in turn has saved more than 900 lives.

The foundation’s advocacy efforts have also led the government to offer scholarships in Perfusion Medicine, a vital area of expertise that supports Jamaica’s cardiac care system.

For her dedication to nation-building, Abi-Gaye Smythe has been recognised as a Prime Minister’s Youth Awardee in the category of Nation Building, a testament to the impactful work the foundation has done over the years.