GEORGE NEWS - The first annual general meeting of the Garden Route Cardiac Support Group was held in the Methodist Church Hall, Plantation Road, last week.

Giving an overview of the motivation behind the establishment of the Cardiac Support Group, Interim Chairman Blyth Thompson said that, whereas cardiac surgery has made enormous strides, the care of cardiac patients, both pre-operative and post-operative, has been found to be equally important to their survival and wellbeing. However, this aspect has lagged far behind.

The group was started to "uplift and enrich the lives of cardiac patients through enlightened and continued support both physically and emotionally".

There were three pioneers among heart patients in George, namely Keith Anderson, Anthony Breakey and Nico Muller who made the early attempts to remedy the situation in the Eden District. Their efforts were continued by a steering committee consisting of Thompson, as an interim chairman, his wife Wendy as secretary, Nico Muller as treasurer, Keith Anderson and André von Bratt.
All but Wendy were heart patients of experience and all, as it happened, were resident in George.

What has been achieved, Thompson was proud to relate, was a fully-fledged Cardiac Support Group in the Eden Municipality, which was solvent and forward looking.

"The objectives of the group - providing a community service throughout the Eden District which would include the formal training of cardiac caregivers - are now clearly achievable. We will be working with other established organisations to the same end," said Thompson.

The recruitment of members at R50 per person or R75 per couple is proceeding steadily. The constitution that had been drawn up was modelled substantially on the constitution of the Helderberg Cardiac Support Group. It will be submitted to the Director of Non-Profit Organisations. When the approved constitution has been formally accepted by the government, the newly elected management committee will be legally entitled to appeal for funding.

Five members have already applied for training as cardiac caregivers. This will be offered by arrangement with the George Mediclinic from the third week of May. "By that time it is hoped that there will be more applicants. In the long run it is intended to ask the nursing authorities to incorporate cardiac care giving in their curricula," said Thompson.

The proposed constitution provides for the formation of sub-committees in towns throughout the Eden District.
André von Bratt, a professional architect, gave a particularly moving and insightful account of his personal experience, first waiting a long time for a heart transplant and then receiving the heart of a donor much younger than himself and all the post-operative treatment required to maintain it.

He followed that up with an outline of the course in care giving for cardiac patients at the George Mediclinic which he will personally supervise.

Committee elected
The draft constitution was approved and the following persons were voted onto the management committee for the ensuing year: Keith Anderson, Nico Muller, Blyth Thompson, Wendy Thompson, Michael Vonk, André von Bratt and Terry Walton.

Thompson thanked his wife Wendy for all the sterling work she had done as secretary of the steering committee in the crucial formative period; Group Editors for the publicity, Elaine Lamb for photographing the meetings, Boehringer-Ingelheim for sponsorship and the George Methodist Church for providing the venue.

Prof Robert Frater, renowned cardiac surgeon, now retired, is the patron of the Cardiac Support Group.


André von Bratt and his wife, Yvonne (in red), chatting to guests at the Cardiac Support Group meeting last week.

'We bring you the latest George | Garden Route news'