With BrownHeart, Chaste takes on the heart

BY CHUKS NWANNE
THROUGHOUT the induction ceremony of the BorwnHeart Campaign ambassadors held recently in Ikeja, Lagos, Chaste Chris Inegbedion sits quietly in a corner of the hall with a few friends. In fact, it was a kind of surprised, when he was introduced as the founder of the non-governmental organisation aimed at enlightening the general public on heart attack. What has Chaste got to do with heart attack at this age? Of course, the Edo State native looks too young to be in such condition. However, from his efforts and level of commitment to the campaign, it’s obvious the project is dear to his heart. Curious to unravel the motive behind BrownHeart and its achievement so far, we scheduled a chat at the Rutam House head office of The Guardian few days later. A graduate of Computer Engineering from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Chaste has always loved working on the computer. For him, it’s a passion. “Surfing is like second home to me; I do a lot of research and networking online.” That must have informed your choice of course in the university? “Sure,” he muses. “In fact, I once started an online sharing group during my secondary school days; it was called KSG Study Group. But that didn’t last too long because after our secondary school, everyone left.” WHAT informed BrownHeart Campaign? He smiles, takes a deep breath while adjusting into his seat. “The idea came after I lost my father in April, 2008; he died of heart attack. I was doing my internship at Eko Hotel then; I was so busy that I couldn’t go to visit him for long.” Having stayed away from home for long, Chaste’s father personally requested he visited. “He called that he wanted to see me. My younger brother was around when I arrived; I was so tired that I even slept off. I remember we were watching an obituary advert on TV and my father was like, ‘this burial thing is going to be very expensive.’ I was surprised by his comment; he was not really old, so, I didn’t understand the thing about obituary. I didn’t know he was about to die.” Chaste observed some changes in his father’s behaviour the morning of the day he died. “He was acting quiet as against his usual lively nature. I learnt before then, he went weeding the compound, which is unusual. He usually paid people to do that, but this time around, he insisted on doing it himself. Even when I tried telling him about my challenges and my volunteer work, he was very silent about it.” Chaste was still asleep when his father came leaning on him, while gasping for breath. “Initially, I thought it was my younger brother in his usual manner, but I later found out it was my dad. Before we could rush him to the hospital, he died.” Were you aware of the heart attack? “We only knew he was hypertensive; we had never heard about the heart attack. My father was not the type that got sick every now and then, so, his death was a big blow to us. He was the breadwinner of the family and I’m the first in the family of two boys.” He continues: “I had a discussion with a medical friend of mine, who told me that we would have laid him down at that moment, but we were just holding him, thinking if we had allowed him to lie down, he would give up. That’s why I decided to start up a campaign to educate people on issues concerning heart attack, especially on the preventive measure.” ANY regrets? “If I had known about heart issues like I do today, we would have handled the situation better; who knows, my father may not have died the way he did. I was actually doing my final year project then, trying to raise money for my school and other things as I never liked disturbing him for money.” So, how did you manage in school? “My mother tried on her part; my relations also played vital role. The Church and my uncle, Chief Oziagbo, tried their best, especially assisting to complete my final year project.” WITH BrownHeart, Chaste and his team has taken the heart campaign to different groups and institutions after flagging it off at the Olabisi Onabanjo University. “We try to let them know how to take care of heart diseases and other issues related to them. I go on Internet most time to find out things about heart diseases and share it with the people. Sometime, I consult health specialists, who give professional advise concerning the heart. We gather the information and share it to people.” According to Chaste, heart attack knows no age. “People used to think that heart attack is for the elderly people. But research has shown that heart disease does not respect anybody; once your heart stops beating, you are dead. I was a member of Leo and Rotaract, Clubs in my school, so, I decided to have the official take off from there to raise the awareness for students to be conscious of their heart.” CHASTE is of the opinion that heart disease could be managed if detected early. “People need to be careful with the kind of food they eat. We are putting up workshops for the young at heart, with experts coming to give professional advice to the people; we are raising a team of specialist that will help in the campaign. Nigerians are going through a lot on the street, which could lead to heart attack. “We are also working with food experts to know the kind of food that helps to make one healthy. We are also looking towards music… trying to use all sorts of platforms to educate people. Michael Jackson was wealthy, yet he died of heart attack.” ASIDE BrownHeart, Chaste also runs Creative Five World Company, PR and volunteering outfit based in Lagos. “I want to work more as an idealists, giving out ideas on how to make the best out of business. I intend to consult for companies and organisations that have youth related businesses. I still want to do more of voluntary works and maybe marry in 2010.” THROUGHOUT the induction ceremony of the BorwnHeart Campaign ambassadors held recently in Ikeja, Lagos, Chaste Chris Inegbedion sits quietly in a corner of the hall with a few friends. In fact, it was a kind of surprised, when he was introduced as the founder of the non-governmental organisation aimed at enlightening the general public on heart attack. What has Chaste got to do with heart attack at this age? Of course, the Edo State native looks too young to be in such condition. However, from his efforts and level of commitment to the campaign, it’s obvious the project is dear to his heart. Curious to unravel the motive behind BrownHeart and its achievement so far, we scheduled a chat at the Rutam House head office of The Guardian few days later. A graduate of Computer Engineering from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Chaste has always loved working on the computer. For him, it’s a passion. “Surfing is like second home to me; I do a lot of research and networking online.” That must have informed your choice of course in the university? “Sure,” he muses. “In fact, I once started an online sharing group during my secondary school days; it was called KSG Study Group. But that didn’t last too long because after our secondary school, everyone left.” WHAT informed BrownHeart Campaign? He smiles, takes a deep breath while adjusting into his seat. “The idea came after I lost my father in April, 2008; he died of heart attack. I was doing my internship at Eko Hotel then; I was so busy that I couldn’t go to visit him for long.” Having stayed away from home for long, Chaste’s father personally requested he visited. “He called that he wanted to see me. My younger brother was around when I arrived; I was so tired that I even slept off. I remember we were watching an obituary advert on TV and my father was like, ‘this burial thing is going to be very expensive.’ I was surprised by his comment; he was not really old, so, I didn’t understand the thing about obituary. I didn’t know he was about to die.” Chaste observed some changes in his father’s behaviour the morning of the day he died. “He was acting quiet as against his usual lively nature. I learnt before then, he went weeding the compound, which is unusual. He usually paid people to do that, but this time around, he insisted on doing it himself. Even when I tried telling him about my challenges and my volunteer work, he was very silent about it.” Chaste was still asleep when his father came leaning on him, while gasping for breath. “Initially, I thought it was my younger brother in his usual manner, but I later found out it was my dad. Before we could rush him to the hospital, he died.” Were you aware of the heart attack? “We only knew he was hypertensive; we had never heard about the heart attack. My father was not the type that got sick every now and then, so, his death was a big blow to us. He was the breadwinner of the family and I’m the first in the family of two boys.” He continues: “I had a discussion with a medical friend of mine, who told me that we would have laid him down at that moment, but we were just holding him, thinking if we had allowed him to lie down, he would give up. That’s why I decided to start up a campaign to educate people on issues concerning heart attack, especially on the preventive measure.” ANY regrets? “If I had known about heart issues like I do today, we would have handled the situation better; who knows, my father may not have died the way he did. I was actually doing my final year project then, trying to raise money for my school and other things as I never liked disturbing him for money.” So, how did you manage in school? “My mother tried on her part; my relations also played vital role. The Church and my uncle, Chief Oziagbo, tried their best, especially assisting to complete my final year project.” WITH BrownHeart, Chaste and his team has taken the heart campaign to different groups and institutions after flagging it off at the Olabisi Onabanjo University. “We try to let them know how to take care of heart diseases and other issues related to them. I go on Internet most time to find out things about heart diseases and share it with the people. Sometime, I consult health specialists, who give professional advise concerning the heart. We gather the information and share it to people.” According to Chaste, heart attack knows no age. “People used to think that heart attack is for the elderly people. But research has shown that heart disease does not respect anybody; once your heart stops beating, you are dead. I was a member of Leo and Rotaract, Clubs in my school, so, I decided to have the official take off from there to raise the awareness for students to be conscious of their heart.” CHASTE is of the opinion that heart disease could be managed if detected early. “People need to be careful with the kind of food they eat. We are putting up workshops for the young at heart, with experts coming to give professional advice to the people; we are raising a team of specialist that will help in the campaign. Nigerians are going through a lot on the street, which could lead to heart attack. “We are also working with food experts to know the kind of food that helps to make one healthy. We are also looking towards music… trying to use all sorts of platforms to educate people. Michael Jackson was wealthy, yet he died of heart attack.” ASIDE BrownHeart, Chaste also runs Creative Five World Company, PR and volunteering outfit based in Lagos. “I want to work more as an idealists, giving out ideas on how to make the best out of business. I intend to consult for companies and organisations that have youth related businesses. I still want to do more of voluntary works and maybe marry in 2010.”