Women Against Heart Disease Fundraising Lunch, Sydney 2023
The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute’s annual Women Against Heart Disease Lunch once again reminded attendees that heart disease remains the biggest killer of Australian women.
But the event held at the Establishment Ballroom also provided hope for a better future thanks to pioneering work taking place within the Institute and armed guests with heart-healthy tips everyone can practice.
They also heard from our wonderful keynote speaker Victoria Macarthur-Stanham who relived the night when she had a sudden cardiac arrest and was kept alive by her husband Tim.
![WAHD Lunch 2023 speaker Victoria Macarthur-Stanham WAHD Lunch 2023 speaker Victoria Macarthur-Stanham](https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=80&q=60&w=120 120w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=160&q=60&w=240 240w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=240&q=60&w=360 360w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=320&q=60&w=480 480w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=400&q=60&w=600 600w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=480&q=60&w=720 720w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=560&q=60&w=840 840w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=640&q=60&w=960 960w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=720&q=60&w=1080 1080w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=60&w=1200 1200w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=880&q=60&w=1320 1320w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=960&q=60&w=1440 1440w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1040&q=60&w=1560 1560w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1120&q=60&w=1680 1680w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&q=60&w=1800 1800w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1280&q=60&w=1920 1920w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-Victoria-Macarthur-Stanham-2023.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1320&q=60&w=1980 1980w)
With her mother Edwina and husband Tim in the room, there was barely a dry eye in the house as Victoria recalled her incredible survival story and relayed how the Institute’s new electrical screening test is helping to protect her family.
The Institute’s Director Professor Jason Kovacic also updated the audience on research taking place into spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD).
![WAHD Lunch 2023 Laura Jayes Jason Kovacic WAHD Lunch 2023 Laura Jayes Jason Kovacic](https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=80&q=60&w=120 120w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=160&q=60&w=240 240w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=240&q=60&w=360 360w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=320&q=60&w=480 480w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=400&q=60&w=600 600w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=480&q=60&w=720 720w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=560&q=60&w=840 840w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=640&q=60&w=960 960w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=720&q=60&w=1080 1080w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=60&w=1200 1200w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=880&q=60&w=1320 1320w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=960&q=60&w=1440 1440w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1040&q=60&w=1560 1560w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1120&q=60&w=1680 1680w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&q=60&w=1800 1800w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1280&q=60&w=1920 1920w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Laura-Jayes-Jason-Kovacic.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1320&q=60&w=1980 1980w)
In a Q and A moderated by MC Laura Jayes from Sky News, Professor Kovacic reminded the audience of heart-healthy hacks – including eating well, exercising daily, undergoing heart health checks, and getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Swapping normal salt for potassium-enriched salt was also a well-received tip.
The Victor Chang Heart Health Team was also there to provide free cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure tests.
A big thanks to everyone who attended, including Sister Anthea Groves who gave grace, and to the generous sponsors who provided beautiful raffle prizes and gifts - Cockatoo Grove, Park Hyatt Sydney, Carla Zampatti, Margaret, Bidinis, Mark the Florist, and Pilu at Freshwater- our immense gratitude, we honestly couldn’t do this event without you.
![Women's Fundraising Lunch 2023 Sponsors Logos Women's Fundraising Lunch 2023 Sponsors Logos](https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=68&q=60&w=120 120w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=135&q=60&w=240 240w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=203&q=60&w=360 360w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=270&q=60&w=480 480w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=338&q=60&w=600 600w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=405&q=60&w=720 720w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=473&q=60&w=840 840w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=540&q=60&w=960 960w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=608&q=60&w=1080 1080w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&q=60&w=1200 1200w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=743&q=60&w=1320 1320w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=810&q=60&w=1440 1440w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=878&q=60&w=1560 1560w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=945&q=60&w=1680 1680w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1013&q=60&w=1800 1800w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1080&q=60&w=1920 1920w, https://victorchang-cdn.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/WAHD-Lunch-2023-Sponsor-Logos.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1114&q=60&w=1980 1980w)
Acknowledgement of Country
The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.