George Town, Grand Cayman (November 28th 2018)  –

The Cayman Heart Fund is pleased to announce it has received a $645CI donation from the friends and family of 12 year old Brandon Simmonds a year 7 student at Cayman Prep and High School. When Brandon heard news of baby Anthony Vaquedano a new born baby who was only 60 days old, at Health City and in urgent need of a specialized procedure to keep him alive, he prayed every night. With his birthday coming up he discussed with his parents that he didn’t really want or need any gifts, but instead he wanted to try to help raise money to help baby Anthony and his family.

“We were thrilled with the idea, in part because it teaches philanthropy and altruism, but mostly because it was something he really wanted to do.” said his parents Marcus and Monique Simmonds. Brandon said “I’m very fortunate and I don’t really need anything, but baby Anthony and his family need help. Baby Anthony’s mother works at Tortuga Rum Company which is owned by my grandfather and I saw the staff collecting for her and it just came to my mind that I could help too.”

“With the holiday season nearby, we would like to encourage the community to give the gift of giving. It does good and it feels good. The perfect gift is a gift to charity and the community in Cayman continues to show this spirit year after year.” Said the chairman of The Cayman Heart Fund Chairman, Mr. David Dinner.

The Cayman Heart Fund is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to educating the public, influencing policy and supporting access to high quality healthcare through various programs and initiatives towards the goal of eradicating cardio vascular disease in the Cayman Islands.

IMAGE:
Brandon presenting baby Anthony’s mother with the money he raised in lieu of birthday gifts.
(Left) Marcus Simmonds, Monique Hamaty-Simmonds, Rosa Martiez-Vaquedano, Brandon Simmonds, and Colleen Mellott (Cayman Heart Fund Coordinator)