My name is Raj Nath, and I’m 53 years old and a proud father of two.

I’ve always been active, often through playing and coaching cricket in schools. I hadn’t been to the doctors in 15 years, and my diet wasn’t perfect, but I believed my lifestyle was enough to keep me healthy.

When I was 46, I started to experience chest pain. I brushed it off, thinking I had overexerted myself. A few days later, the pain spread to my left side, and I was taken to the hospital.

Doctors found my blood pressure was high, but my ECG looked normal. While kept in overnight, my heart stopped for two minutes. The next day, an angiogram revealed that I had suffered a heart attack and that two of my arteries were blocked. I felt shock, fear, and disbelief.

Five days later, I had two stents fitted. The doctors explained that my diet, irregular eating patterns, and high cholesterol had all played a role. I was incredibly fortunate to have been in hospital when my heart stopped. Getting treatment saved my life. But it was also a wake-up call. If I had visited the doctor earlier, my high blood pressure could have been spotted and treated, and the heart attack may have been prevented entirely.

Since then, I’ve made real changes. I eat in moderation, cook more of my own meals, walk regularly and pay closer attention to my body and health.

If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked, even if you feel healthy. We need more education about the risks and preventative measures for cardiovascular disease. Heart disease doesn’t always present obvious warning signs, so don’t wait until it’s too late. My experience is proof that it can happen to anyone.

That’s why, this World Heart Day, I’m calling for the UK government to increase access to treatment to hypertension for everyone in the UK. Everyone, everywhere should have access to simple, lifesaving checks for high blood pressure. When caught early, it is highly treatable and preventable, yet too many people don’t get the care and treatment they need immediately and are left to deal with the consequences.  

Sign the petition today.

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Heart disease is the world’s number one killer. 

More deadly than cancer, it claims around 20 million lives a year and is the reason that 1 in 5 of us will die early.

It doesn’t have to be this way. 

Medication to reduce high blood pressure - a major risk factor for heart disease - saves lives by preventing heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes. 

But 4 in 5 people are not getting the treatment they need to control their blood pressure. 

It’s time for urgent action.      

That’s why we’re calling on Governments to act now and commit to helping some 500 million more people get the treatment they need by 2030. 

There’s no time to lose. In the 30 seconds it may have taken you to read this, 20 more lives have been lost. It could be you or someone you love next.

SIGN our petition to call for better treatment TODAY and stop needless deaths.

The World Heart Federation