Crowborough creative Kerry Kent may have been born with a heart defect, but that has not affected her appetite for life, and she has now been nominated as a British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart Hero this year for her fund-raising efforts.
Born with a problem that meant repeated surgeries and a serious infection last year which nearly killed her, Kerrie has always worked to raise awareness about heart disease in younger people, and has fundraised for related charities all her life.
Her testimonial about what it was like to be a heart surgery patient has also been featured as part of a BHF information booklet written for patients waiting for heart surgery. Fund-raising has even become a major strand of her creative career.
“Work is the focus that keeps me going and drives me forward. Raising money and helping – that’s my passion now.”
After a marketing career in London and Tunbridge Wells, Kerrie struck out on her own seven years ago, setting up two businesses – Brand Studio, which helps small creative entrepreneurs with branding and design, and Gold Hearted Club, which raises money for heart charities through selling merchandise she designs.
Her merchandise – featuring a heart, cross and the word ‘brave’ – can be worn by people who are willing to talk about heart disease and the health problems that can come with it. Some people are afraid to ask about health matters, she explained: “I felt that a hard wall was put up – that I couldn’t talk about what was happening with me.”
Her pins, t-shirts, bags and keychains ‘give people permission to talk about it’.
A proportion of ‘brave’ sales go to BHF and The Brompton Fountain at the Royal Brompton Hospital, which has been treating her since she was a baby.
“They both mean so much to me and I will always keep raising funds for them for the rest of my life,” she said.
Kerrie has even found that her two businesses drive each other forward, as clients find out about the other side of her life.
Although she had been talking publicly about heart disease in younger people for years, the infection which nearly killed her last year brought her a bigger following as her ‘brave’ message spread while she was fighting for her life and later recovering.
“My story started to resonate with people,” she said.
“A lot of clients have come back to me since what happened last year, and some clients have become friends.
Having been recognised as an ‘innovative fundraiser’ by BHF, her story continues to spread.
“I went back to work in January 2022. I’ve been gaining traction and speed and now I’m going at full speed,” Kerrie added. Her two businesses still fit around family life, meaning that she has been able to do the school run with her son Walter, who has just finished his first year at primary school.
“It’s such a blessing,” she said.
