Dear Editor,
I would be deeply indebted if, through your newspaper, you could afford us the opportunity to convey our sincere appreciation to all who helped and supported us throughout 2007.

Despite the ever-increasing demand from so many other worthy causes over the past year, we have once again received overwhelming and enthusiastic support from volunteers to fundraisers; donors; event partners; heart patients and members of the general public. As a voluntary and charitable organisation, we rely totally on donations and the proceeds from fundraising events. We are heartened to have such a loyal base of support, and particularly from those who year in, year out respond so generously to our various appeals, both in terms of financial support and time commitment as volunteers.

The Croí mission to impact positively in every possible area of cardiac care for the benefit of local heart patients continues. Over the years, we have contributed in significant ways to improve local cardiac services and facilities; support important research and education initiatives and make a real difference in the areas of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. For many years, we have campaigned for a regional cardiac surgical centre and in this regard, a milestone in cardiac care was achieved in 2007 with the opening of the Cardiac Surgical Unit at University Hospital Galway. This is a hugely positive development in that heart patients no longer have to travel to Dublin for their procedures and emergencies can now be dealt with locally, thus saving valuable time and ultimately potentially saving lives.

During the past year, the funds raised by Croí have supported a range of initiatives across all areas of cardiac care, which include the ambulance service; research and education bursaries; patient support programmes; specialist cardiac services; hospital cardiology development; the Croí Community Nurse Programme; the 'Croí Lifeline' Public Access Defibrillation Programme and the regional Cardiac Surgical Centre at University Hospital Galway. Increasingly, the focus on disease prevention and rehabilitation see us working more in the community and our 'Lifeline Project' has made tremendous strides in 2007. Under this initiative, almost 200 defibrillation sites are now active throughout the West and, over time, we hope to see these impact positively in the area of Sudden Cardiac Arrest by actually saving lives.

We are currently undergoing a process of review, with the aim of prioritising our work for the next five to ten years, and we have many exciting projects in the pipeline, all of which have the objective of preventing heart disease and ensuring that the best possible service and facilities are available for cardiac care in the West of Ireland. The fight against heart disease therefore continues and we must maintain our vigorous fundraising efforts. We hope the people of the West of Ireland will continue to support us as generously as they have to date in the knowledge that we are all working together for our own heart healthy future.

In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the tremendous support your newspaper consistently affords us and I hope that we can all look forward to happy and healthy New Year.

Yours sincerely,
Neil Johnson,
Chief Executive

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