Chairman’s Christmas Message – Cayman Heart Foundation
As we reach the end of the year, I would like to thank you all for your continued support of the Cayman Heart Foundation and to extend my warmest wishes to you and your family for Christmas and the year ahead. I hope the New Year brings good health, stability, and opportunity. Above all, I wish you a heart healthy and prosperous year ahead.
Why Our Work Matters in Cayman
Each year, the Cayman Islands records around 300 deaths. Approximately one third are due to cardiovascular disease, meaning close to 100 lives are lost annually to heart disease and stroke. These are not distant statistics. They represent people within our families, workplaces, and communities. Many of these deaths are preventable through earlier identification of risk, informed decision-making, and timely intervention.
This is why the Foundation’s work remains both urgent and necessary, and arguably more important than ever.
2025: A Year of Engagement, Education, and Recognition
This year saw strong momentum across public awareness, professional education, and community engagement.
In February 2025, we marked Wear Red Day, reinforcing the message that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women and encouraging conversations about risk, symptoms, and prevention. This was followed by the Heart Warriors & Angels Beach Walk, a powerful community event combining remembrance for brave Baby Nolan, solidarity, and hope for the future of babies born with congenital heart problems. It brought families together in support of heart health.
In June 2025, the Foundation hosted the Cardiovascular Conference, one of our most significant events of the year, with packed out attendance. It brought together clinicians, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders to focus on cardiovascular prevention, current standards of care, and the Cayman context. The conference reinforced the importance of evidence-based practice and collaboration in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity locally. It reminded us of the true scale of cardiovascular disease and the improvement journey still to travel.
In September 2025, we came together with the amazing team at Tortuga Rum Company, in honour of Captain Robert Hamaty, whose legacy has touched so many lives, not just in the arena of cardiovascular disease, about which he was passionate. The Memorial 5K Walk/ Run was especially well attended and we thank both sponsors, participants and especially both Tortuga and the Hamaty family for their tireless support.
In November 2025, we hosted the Heart Heroes Brunch, another cornerstone event for the Foundation. This event recognised an inspiring set of Heart Heroes, including those overcoming the challenge of heart conditions, as well as individuals and organisations who have made outstanding contributions to cardiovascular health, emergency response, advocacy, and community leadership. It celebrated action, commitment, and impact, and highlighted what is possible when people step forward. It’s now a mustn’t miss part of the social fabric and calendar of Cayman and all how attended can feel justifiably proud of their contribution to our work.
Important as these events are, the Foundation exists to make a practical difference, and we continued screening activities, education initiatives, awareness and outreach throughout the year. I would like to sincerely thank our sponsors, partners, volunteers, medical advisors, and supporters. Your commitment enables this work to continue.
Looking Ahead: Key Dates for 2026
The year ahead builds on this momentum, with important opportunities to engage:
National Wear Red Day – 6 February 2026
Again, we will raise awareness and spark conversation so that everybody understands the toll cardiovascular disease takes on the female half of society. Lots of little acts makes a big difference.
Heart Warriors & Angels Beach Walk – 15 February 2026
A community event centred on remembrance, prevention, and collective action, and devoted to fund raising for our smallest heart patients.
Red Dress Ball – 9 May 2026
The evening event of social calendar, and although important in raising funds, is best seen as the ball or gala everybody wants to attend because it is an amazing night.
Cayman Islands Cardiovascular Conference – 18 June 2026
The largest event in the Cayman Islands devoted to pushing forward understanding, practice & prevention in cardiovascular disease.
Robert Hamaty Memorial 5K Walk/Run – 26 September 2026 (provisional)
So ably organised by Tortuga, it’s a wonderful opportunity to honour a legacy, raise funds and get valuable exercise all before breakfast!
Heart Heroes Brunch – 14th November 2026 (provisional)
This date should be in everybody’s diary. It sells out early and receives off-the-scale commendation by attendees. Secure early!
Whereas the greatest honour we receive is your engagement in your own heart health, perhaps the easiest support you can provide is to attend, support, and help amplify these events. Participation directly supports life-saving work, and 2026 is a year where that is needed more than most, as we embark on two vital programmes to really start moving the needle on cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.
Saving 100 Lives
Saving 100 Lives is the Foundation’s core campaign and reflects a simple, sobering truth. If approximately 100 people in Cayman die from cardiovascular disease each year, then preventing those deaths is both measurable and achievable.
This literally life-saving campaign focuses on:
- Improving understanding of cardiovascular risk
- Encouraging people to know their key health numbers
- Supporting sustainable lifestyle change
- Embedding prevention and readiness within workplaces
The programme is grounded in Cayman’s own data and focuses on practical action rather than awareness alone. Together, we can save lives.
Heart Healthy Employers
The Heart Healthy Employers Programme is a key pillar of Saving 100 Lives. It recognises that workplaces are where we live so much of our lives and thus a powerful setting for prevention, early detection, and emergency readiness.
Participating employers commit to:
- CPR and AED training
- Access to cardiovascular screening and education in the workplace
- Promotion of heart healthy behaviours
- Visible leadership in employee wellbeing
The programme supports healthier teams, safer workplaces, and long-term reduction in cardiovascular risk. Are you a Heart Healthy Employer?
A Personal Call to Action
As the festive season approaches, I encourage you to prioritise your own heart health. Make 2026 a year in which you:
- Know your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
- Move regularly and consistently.
- Eat with intention and moderation.
- Do not ignore symptoms such as chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, or unexplained fatigue.
Small, sustained actions make a measurable difference and collectively they save lives. We invite you to use 2026 to embrace that mission, not for us, but for you and your loved ones. Longevity, the seemingly inescapable health topic of the moment, starts with avoiding an early death from World’s and Cayman’s number one preventable cause.
With Thanks and Purpose
The Cayman Heart Foundation exists because too many lives continue to be affected by heart disease. With your continued support, we can reduce that burden and save lives.
Thank you for standing with us this year. I look forward to what we will achieve together in the year ahead.
With warm Christmas wishes and every hope for a heart healthy New Year,
Andrew Vincent
Chairman
Cayman Heart Foundation
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