Sarah Stavrow has been chosen to be a representative on the youth committee, bringing young minds together dedicated to raising awareness of heart disease.

“When there are so many charities you can be involved in nowadays, I guess the Victor Chang Foundation had that personal appeal to me… and when I was asked to be a part of it, it was a no-brainer,” Ms Stavrow said.

Her grandfather, well-known publican Stan Russell who has since passed away, had the chance of receiving life-saving double-bypass surgery performed by the renowned heart surgeon Victor Chang.

“Growing up, Pop used to talk about Victor Chang a lot,” Ms Stavrow said.

“When he received his heart surgery, Victor Chang was the number one heart surgeon, so to have him operate on Pop was quite a big deal. It was such a big part of his life – and mine as a result."

The youth committee is made up of professionals who are experts in their field, from political reporters, finance directors and real estate moguls.

Owning and running the Fashion Institute in Sydney for eight years and making it one of Australia's leading tertiary fashion colleges, Ms Stavrow has proven her business and fashion acumen by expanding the college, offering a make-up college as well. 

Not only that, but Ms Stavrow is the only member to have had a relative be operated on by Victor Chang himself.

“I have been brought on board to give it a fashionable edge and give it something different.

“We are bringing minds of a similar age group together to see what we can do, the campaigns we can come up with to really hit home the reality of heart disease.”

RELATED:

She says there is a misconception that heart disease affects mainly the elderly, especially older men, but more women die of heart disease than they do of breast cancer.

“It’s about bringing awareness to people of our generation, as it is something that affects everyone. And obviously encouraging people to donate to the fascinating research currently being undertaken."

***

While you’re with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Friday at 6am from The Irrigator. To make sure you’re up to date with all news in Leeton sign up here.