World Heart Day
During the early stages of the pandemic the phrase ‘people with underlying health conditions’ was used quite often when describing people who were particularly at risk of severe complications if they caught Covid-19. One of those ‘underlying health conditions’ is cardio-vascular disease (‘heart trouble’) which presents in different ways to many people around the world. Today is an opportunity to focus globally on a set of conditions that pre-date Covid-19, and will still be there when we have eventually suppressed or learned to live with the pandemic virus. For many people genetic factors make them susceptible to heart disease, and sometimes life conditions contribute. For people here and in other Developed countries our health services can offer medication or surgery – but there are many around the world who cannot access that. There are also things we can do to try to keep our hearts healthy (exercise, diet, lifestyle)
Lord, we give thanks for the knowledge and skill that has given us access to medication and surgery for heart disease. We pray that they may become available to everyone in need. We remember all who are living with heart disease. Help us to remember our hearts and circulatory systems, and do what we can through exercise, diet etc to keep them healthy
