18-year-old Jonathan Lord is urging young Fijians to join the fight against heart disease and take decisive steps to improve heart health within their communities.

Lord, who is living with rheumatic heart disease, shared his personal journey during the World Heart Day celebration organized by Heart Heroes Fiji in Navua today.

The Marist Brothers High School year 13 student was diagnosed with RHD eleven years ago after a routine check-up for flu revealed the severity of his condition.

“It took me about two days for them to find out that I had rheumatic heart disease. So ever since then, I’ve lived with it. But the great thing about it is I get to go places and create awareness and advocate. And so Paige stands for health, and so it’s just going to the hospital to get your checkup. Whenever you have a normal flu or you’re feeling sick, is always good, and we’ll always advise you to go and get checked up, because maybe we don’t know, although our herbal medicine works, or sometimes you just need more professional medical attention because you don’t know what would happen.”

Despite being unable to participate in the sports due to his heart condition, Lord is advocating for the thousands of young people living with heart diseases in the country.

The heart champion is encouraging his peers to make healthy choices.

“Small steps can lead to a substantial change, not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us today. I encourage each and every one of you to think about how you can make a genuine difference, whether it’s influencing your own health choices, educating your peers, or even advocating for change. On a larger scale, every step counts.”

Lord also made a special appeal to government and healthcare providers, asking for more resources to be dedicated to heart disease awareness and treatment, particularly for young people.