Information: volunteer@enduringhearts.org, enduringhearts.org
With the community’s help and The Achy Breaky 5K and Rock Around The Clock 5K, held in Powder Springs and Kennesaw, respectively, Enduring Hearts raised money and awareness for its mission that supports the youngest of heart patients.
A personal experience with their daughter, Mya, led Patrick and Madelyn Gahan to found Marietta-based Enduring Hearts, a nonprofit that funds important and innovative research to increase longevity and improve quality of life of pediatric heart transplant recipients.
Their daughter received a heart transplant when she was only three, and “The family learned that a transplanted organ is not a cure, it is a bridge to life,” said Mysia Prickett, development director of Enduring Hearts.
Statistics show that one in four pediatric heart transplant recipients need a subsequent heart transplant within five years.
“It was then that Patrick and Madelyn decided to take action to improve these odds,” added Prickett.
The nonprofit, with partnerships with the American Heart Association and International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, focuses on funding clinical research projects and new emerging technologies that focus on understanding the cause, development and prevention of human transplantation diseases. Since its founding, the nonprofit has been able to award nearly $2 million in research grants, including a $1 million pledge to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
To help continue its mission, Enduring Hearts always seeks volunteers who can help spread the word of its work, volunteer at special events or connect with the organization for other ways to volunteer.
“The research that Enduring Hearts funds doesn’t just benefit transplant recipients,” added Prickett. “It impacts the lives of their families and friends, as well. And what we are doing doesn’t just have an effect here in Georgia, or even in the US. This research can improve the lives of transplant patients and their families around the world.”
In other news: The Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K presented contributions totaling $12,500 to 18 local charities that serve children in Cobb and Cherokee counties. The 18 chosen charities are: Action Ministries, Atlanta Child Therapy, Atlanta Ministry with International Students, Bert's Big Adventure, Boy Scout Troop 444, Camp Twin Lakes, Cherokee Day Training Center, Family Promise of Cobb County, Georgia Sheriff's Youth Ranch, Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb County, Goshen Valley Boys Ranch, Kate's Club, Mountain Top Boys Home, MUST Ministries, Next Step Ministries, Rally Foundation, Restore Place and Simple Needs Georgia.
MGK has been serving the youth of the world and the community for the past 25 years.
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