MARLBOROUGH, Mass. -- The HeartBrothers Foundation (HBF) is pleased to announce that it has received a $35,000 donation from Cytokinetics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company and longtime supporter to benefit the HeartBrothers' virtual monthly Patient Support Group, routine heart failure webinars, and annual Team HeartBrothers Symposium.
The HeartBrothers' monthly virtual Patient Support Group welcomes heart failure patients from around the country and gives them a safe place to share experiences, ask questions and find friendship. The Webinars feature top cardiac care experts sharing breakthroughs in heart failure care. The HeartBrothers Symposium is an important annual gathering where patients, families, doctors and sponsors come together to hear the latest in heart failure research, treatments and supports.
Independently, HeartBrothers member Mike Ashworth is joining Cytokinetics Heart Failure Patient and Caregiver Advisory Council, to share his experience as a transplant survivor.
“Cytokinetics has been a valued partner for six years,” said HeartBrothers Co-founder Patrick Sullivan. “With their help, we are able to help thousands of heart failure patients with important programming. We’re grateful for their support.”
“We are proud to contribute to the heart failure community through our advocacy activities in support of initiatives that may impact outcomes for patients and families,” said Mary Pomerantz, Cytokinetics Director of Advocacy.
The HeartBrothers Foundation serves thousands of heart failure patients and their families with financial grants, emotional support, and educational webinars and support groups. It also runs the HeartBrothers House in Boston’s Back Bay, where heart failure patients and families can stay during treatment.
Sullivan founded the HeartBrothers in 2014 with Bob Romer, after the two men spent a year together at Tufts Medical Center waiting for new hearts. They promised each other if they survived, they would dedicate themselves to helping other heart failure patients.
Cytokinetics is one of several HeartBrothers corporate sponsors, others include Bristol Myers Squibb, TransMedics, Abbott, Novartis and CareDx.
“We couldn’t do our important work without the support of these corporate sponsors,” Sullivan said. “Heart failure is an often-under-recognized disease, even though it impacts so many Americans. These sponsors are helping shed the light on its causes and treatments.”
More than 6 million Americans suffer from heart failure, with Black Americans disproportionately impacted. More than 900,000 new cases of heart failure are diagnosed each year.