On Thursday night, as the Raiders run out onto GIO Stadium, thousands of fans will rise to their feet for the famous Viking Clap. It's a moment of unity, pride and power and a reminder of what this community can achieve when it comes together.

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This week, the Heart Foundation is asking Canberrans to bring that same energy to something else that deserves our roar of support: our heart health.

Cardiovascular disease claims around 500 lives in the ACT each year. That's 500 families changed forever by something that is, in many cases, preventable. Despite this, too many of us put our heart health on the bench, pushed aside by busy schedules, work, family and the belief that serious heart issues only happen to someone else.

No one understands this more than 16-year-old Raiders fan, Rory Pittman. Last year, while playing basketball in Queanbeyan, Rory went into sudden cardiac arrest.

Quick-thinking community members performed CPR and used the stadium's newly installed automated external defibrillator (AED) to help save his life. Their action of "Call, Push, Shock" - call triple zero, push the chest and shock using an AED - helped save his life.

Without this fast response to step in and help, the outcome would almost certainly have been tragic.

Stories like Rory's remind us that heart emergencies can happen to anyone. They also remind us that awareness, preparation and community action saves lives.

That's why at this week's game you'll see the iconic Heart Foundation red as we team up with the NRL powerhouse for heart health awareness. Now in our third year of our partnership with the Raiders, we've seen firsthand how deeply this team and its supporters care about the wellbeing of the Canberra region.

Together we're urging supporters to make their own heart-health gameplan. We're talking about the small achievable "one percenters" that can have a lifesaving impact on our heart health.

So, if you're heading to the game come early and think about how you can support your heart health. Visit our stall to find out your heart age, practise CPR on a manikin, or learn how an AED works.

You can pick up a range of free resources to learn about a heart-healthy eating pattern, how to move more by joining a local Heart Foundation walking group or booking a Medicare Heart Health Check.

Through supporting the Heart Foundation, you can also have the chance to score a signed Raiders jersey.

The Raiders are stepping up for Canberra's heart health. Now it's our turn. Let's clap, cheer and act for ourselves, for our families and for a healthier ACT.

Lauren Ford is the ACT general manager for Heart Foundation.

When the Raiders clap, Canberra listens. Let's back our heart health, too

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