The Hurricanes have today announced a partnership with the Stroke Foundation, with both organisations solidifying the partnership with the launch of a 12-week health challenge, from 11 March – 3 June.
The Stroke Foundation is a New Zealand-based charity focused on the prevention of and recovery from stroke. For over 40 years, they have actively promoted ways to avoid stroke and are dedicated to working closely with stroke survivors across the country.
Hurricanes Chief Executive, Avan Lee, said he was thrilled to partner with the Stroke Foundation.
“The Stroke Foundation do an amazing job supporting Kiwis that have been affected by stroke and our key role in this relationship will be to raise awareness of stroke and the risk factors that can lead to stroke.
“In New Zealand, someone suffers a stroke every 55 minutes, and with the number of strokes rising, and more young people affected by it, we wanted to use this partnership to raise awareness to the importance of healthy lifestyles and regular blood pressure checks.
“75 percent of strokes are preventable, so getting checked regularly is critical to support ourselves and our whānau in their health journey.
“We’re really pleased to be promoting the health challenge and have the Stroke Foundation's vans at our games to check our fan’s blood pressure. It’s a small step in supporting the Stroke Foundation to support our community,” said Lee.
Jo Lambert, Chief Executive of the Stroke Foundation New Zealand said: “We know that in sport, a game can turn in seconds with a step, a kick, or a tackle. When it comes to our health, lives can change in seconds as well.
“A stroke happens without warning and can change lives forever. This is why we are proud to team up with the Hurricanes and create the Hurricanes Health Challenge to help people reduce their risk of stroke and live healthier lives. It’s a fun, off-beat challenge with great prizes that the whole whānau can get behind.”
There are 9,500 strokes in New Zealand every year, with a 40 percent increase expected by 2028. Māori and Pacific Peoples’ risk of stroke is 1.5-3 times higher, and their strokes occur, on average, 10-15 years younger. They are likely to live with the aftereffects of stroke for longer, with a greater impact on their whānau.
The Stroke Foundation’s services are free. They include mobile vans that work in communities around the country, providing free blood pressure checks and advice to over 10,000 people a year. This ensures the best possible health outcomes – not just for themselves –but for their family/whānau and carers too.
The Stroke Foundation Blood Pressure Vans will be at our home games throughout the 2023 DHL Super Rugby Pacific competition to check blood pressure and provide helpful information to the community.
To find out more about the Stroke Foundation, go to www.stroke.org.nz.
Find out more about the 12-week health challenge here, www.stroke.org.nz/hurricanes-health-challenge