On December 14, 2022, our founder, Vaneeza, was sitting in her college dining hall when she received a devastating text: her grandfather had passed away. Among the medical complications he faced was heart disease. He had been one of her best friends, her favorite debate partner, and an inimitable presence in her life.

        In the weeks that followed, Vaneeza began thinking about something she had heard far too often: another relative, family friend, or community member had passed away because of a heart-related condition. What had once seemed like a series of individual tragedies began to reveal a much larger pattern.

        She started researching cardiovascular diseases, first in her family's home country of Pakistan and then around the world. As she tried to understand why cardiovascular disease affected so many lives, she became particularly interested in its behavioral risk factors—from nutrition and physical activity to chronic stress and tobacco use.

        But her experiences outside of research were envincing something equally important: knowing what is healthy does not equate to having the ability to pursue it.

        While volunteering at a local homeless shelter, Vaneeza helped prepare meals and began thinking more deeply about the inextricable relationship between food access, nutrition, and health. In a university course focused on homelessness in Charlottesville, Virginia, she learned how profoundly housing, neighborhood conditions, income, and geography can shape a person's opportunities and well-being. While volunteering with an eviction helpline, listening to messages from people facing the loss of their homes exposed her to the immense nebulousness and stress that can accompany housing insecurity.

        Together, these experiences changed the question she was asking. It was no longer simply, “What causes cardiovascular disease?” It became, “Who has the resources and opportunities to prevent it?”

        Looking closer to home, Vaneeza began researching cardiovascular health disparities in lower-income communities in the United States. Her research reinforced what her experiences had already spotlit: preventing disease is not simply a matter of telling someone to "make healthier choices". The ability to eat nutritiously, remain physically active, manage stress, avoid tobacco, and prioritize preventive health is influenced by the circumstances in which people live.

        For families already navigating financial strain, housing instability, a dearth of neighborhood resources, or other barriers, the healthiest option unfortunately is not always be the most accessible one.

        As a college student, Vaneeza knew she could not redress every structural condition contributing to cardiovascular health disparities. But she also believed that meaningful change did not require solving everything at once. There was an opportunity to start somewhere.

        She envisioned an organization that would recognize the larger circumstances shaping health while focusing on something tangible: helping communities address modifiable behavioral risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. By bringing practical education, preventive resources, and community-centered programming directly to populations facing greater barriers to preventive health, perhaps cardiovascular prevention could become more accessible. That idea became Heartful Healings.

        Today, Heartful Healings works across low-income communities in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to help decrease behavioral risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Through accessible resources, education, and community-based programming, we work toward a future where protecting your heart is not a privilege determined by your income or ZIP code.

        What began as one granddaughter's response to loss has grown into an ardent commitment to prevention, equity, and healthier communities—one heart at a time.