Saturday, October 20, 2007

Choose to Make a Difference


Heart Attacks are great for the funeral business but they are not good at all for the folks who are left behind. Believe me I have dealt with the aftermath of such events many times in my life. Some of you know exactly what I am talking about. I hope the rest of you never find out.

Every 34 seconds a person in the United States dies of heart disease. That comes out to about 2500 people per day and the heart death angel does not take the weekends off.

Trust me I used to work a lot of weekends.

That, by the way, equals to about $5 Billion of revenues a year for funeral homes throughout the United States. And that doesn’t count the charges at the cemetery. About $1.2 Billion of that $5 Billion in funeral revenues come from people who die from heart attacks before they reach a hospital. Coroners and EMT’s get in on the income on those cases.

I have no idea how much money is spent for hospital bills and doctor bills for the over 6 million hospitalizations that occur each year in our country because of cardiovascular disease. But it is exponentially more than the funeral expenditures.

With the exception of the flu pandemic in 1918, Cardio Vascular Disease has been the number one killer in the United States since 1900.

I would say we have a problem.

The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. If there was ever a cause worthy of your donation, it would be this organization.

My mother and father died of heart disease so I take it rather personally. And I have a feeling you have loved ones who suffer or suffered from the same disease.

My niece, who happens to be a Registered Nurse, takes it personally as well. She will be participating in a “Heart Walk” on November 17 to help raise money for the American Heart Association. Your donation will help fight our nation’s No. 1 killer. You can make a difference.

Follow This Link to visit Amy’s personal web page and to help her in her efforts to support the American Heart Association. Your donation will take money away from us undertakers but you will add quality of life and length of life for the people you love.

You can choose to make a difference.

And since I take it personally, I sincerely thank you in advance for your consideration.

1 comment:

KAT said...

Mr. Goddard:
Look at the St. Agnes' Foundation website for deputyheartattack.org. I think it's a cute program that might save lives. I tried to include it in a Letter to the Editor but it was omitted. EMS systems and full-time coroners (such as Leon Jones) should consider disseminating materials on it.