Release date: 3/06/2011
As a fit and active dad Patrick Zimmermann thought he was the least likely to suffer from a heart attack. That was until the day he did.
While at his karate club the 43-year-old architectural designer collapsed and was rushed to The Prince Charles Hospital for emergency surgery. Patrick didn’t know his liver was overproducing cholesterol which had blocked his arteries and stopped his heart. “My kids think I’m Superman. I’ve always been an active person and rarely thought to make the time to see my doctor,” said Patrick. “It took my ‘death’ to make me change my life and I now don’t take my health for granted.” Chairman of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation John Hamilton said it’s stories like Patrick’s that highlight the need for men’s health to be brought into public discussion and made a priority for men. “At the Foundation we are trying hard to communicate to men the importance of a healthy lifestyle,” said Mr Hamilton. “Many leading causes of male deaths are actually preventable with a change in diet, increased physical activity and adoption of healthy habits.” The Foundation will be focusing on promoting the awareness of men’s health at its annual Men’s Health Week lunch next Friday, 10 June, at Brisbane’s Stamford Plaza. Mr Hamilton said the event is a great opportunity to cultivate awareness about an issue that doesn’t receive due attention. The Foundation supports research at The Prince Charles Hospital, a specialist centre for research and treatment of leading causes of death and illness in men including heart disease, lung cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases. The Foundation’s Ambassador for Men’s Health and Federal Treasurer, The Hon Wayne Swan MP will discuss Australia’s National Male Health Policy, launched last year. A cancer survivor, Mr Swan fully understands the seriousness with which men should consider their health. Tickets to the Men’s Health Week lunch are $135, available from www.tpchfoundation.org.au or by calling the Foundation on 07 3139 4636. This event is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Medtronic Australasia. The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation has been supporting life saving medical research for 25 years. For more information or to make a donation to help us keep finding cures and saving lives, visit www.tpchfoundation.org.au Download the media release (pdf)
Media contacts: Christine Atkinson, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation ph (07) 3139 6350