- HeartMates will create a supportive and empowering community
for people impacted by heart conditions, leveraging Abbott's
leadership in cardiovascular care
- Professional football player and heart health advocate Damar
Hamlin joins Abbott to kick off the HeartMates program
- Heart disease impacts over 100 million Americans, nearly half
of U.S. adults1
- Abbott will host a media conference call on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 5
p.m. ET with Hamlin to
discuss the program
ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Oct. 31, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT), a global leader in heart
health, announced today the Abbott HeartMates program, a new
initiative that will kick off with professional football player
Damar Hamlin as its first ambassador.
Experiencing a major heart-related incident can cause emotional
distress and be an incredibly isolating experience.2 A
group of individuals working together as a team can make all the
difference to those affected and help them make a full comeback and
live their fullest lives. The Abbott HeartMates program aims to
create a community of support for people and caregivers impacted by
heart conditions. The program will enable participants to share
stories and receive emotional support as well as connect with
others going through similar heart health journeys.
"After experiencing a cardiovascular event that changed my life,
I know the power and importance of having an engaged team to lean
on for mental and physical recovery," Hamlin said. "I'm partnering with
Abbott to launch HeartMates because we share a vision to offer
the support and encouragement I received after my incident, so
others feel empowered to achieve their own comeback stories."
Building the HeartMates Team
Abbott is inviting people
who are committed to inspiring others through their heart health
stories to join Hamlin on our
HeartMates team. The team will be comprised of people directly or
indirectly affected by a heart condition including cardiovascular
patients, their caregivers, health care providers, friends and
family. Team members will collaborate directly with Abbott and
Hamlin as program ambassadors and
promote the HeartMates community-building tenants to those impacted
by heart conditions.
Individuals who would like to nominate someone they know or
submit themselves to be considered for the HeartMates team are
encouraged to share their heart stories with Abbott and
Hamlin via email at
HeartMates@abbott.com. The inaugural HeartMates team will be
drafted in early 2024.
"At Abbott, we pour our hearts into developing innovative
medical devices that empower people to come back from
cardiovascular events," said Nadim Geloo, M.D., senior director of
medical affairs in Abbott's Structural Heart business. "However,
nobody makes a comeback alone. Our HeartMates program creates a
community of support and resources for those navigating their heart
health and embodies our unwavering commitment to ensuring that no
one faces these challenges alone."
Abbott and Hamlin are
collaborating closely to further build the HeartMates community by
meeting and hearing from people around the country impacted
by cardiovascular events, as well as their caregivers. Hamlin and the Abbott team recently visited
Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Westchester, N.Y., to learn from caregivers
and hear comeback stories directly from people who have experienced
cardiac events.
To access B-roll and photos of this visit, click here.
Media interested in joining a conference call on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 5
p.m. ET with Abbott, Hamlin
and a family impacted by a cardiovascular condition, can reach out
to Maddie King at
maddie.king@abbott.com for dial-in details.
To find out more about the Abbott HeartMates program and hear
stories from patients impacted by heart conditions, visit
HeartMates.Abbott.
Abbott's Cardiovascular Leadership
Abbott is a global
leader in cardiovascular care and is focused on advancing health
technologies that restore blood flow, keep hearts beating in
rhythm, fix damaged heart valves, and slow the progression of heart
disease so people can control their heart condition and not let it
control them. We help people avoid open-heart surgery though some
of the smallest, most advanced devices on the market that are
implanted without major or invasive surgery. Abbott is delivering
solutions to keep people and their doctors more connected to stay
ahead of worsening heart disease. We are focused on ensuring our
innovations are available to treat as many people in as many places
as possible.
About Abbott
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live
more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing
technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading
businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices,
nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues
serve people in more than 160 countries.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn
at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-, on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews.
1 Tsao CW, Aday AW, Almarzooq ZI, et al. Heart
Disease and Stroke Statistics—2023 Update: A Report From the
American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023;147:e93–e621
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Heart
Disease and Mental Health Disorders, 2020
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SOURCE Abbott