Posts Tagged ‘american heart association’

March 2, 2015

Munzee Players Raise $50,000 for the American Heart Association

VdayPinkWe’re extremely proud to announce our players have helped us raise a $50,000 donation for the American Heart Association through our virtual candy hearts fundraiser. This is a huge testament to our players’ ability to give and we continue to beam with pride with each fundraising effort. Although we only sold the AHA Candy Heart Virtuals for seven days our players quickly showed their support and the Munzee Map now looks like a box of Necco conversation hearts!

The American Heart Association was ecstatic to receive our gift and shared many stories- highlighting how our donation will be used to help the world. Whether it’s funding heart research or aiding in education, the money our players raised will take AHA one step closer to saving hearts worldwide. According to the US Center for Disease Control, Cardiovascular disease (including heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure) is the number 1 killer of women and men in the United States and a leading cause of disability. This is an important cause that affects every human being and we’re proud to say we’ve helped in this fight.

Remember, the virtual hearts that have been deployed around the world are still live for another couple weeks. We’ve seen tons of new events pop up based on heavy heart locations and everyone has had a lot of fun spreading the love. The virtuals will disappear from the map on March 15th at 23:59 MHQ time (GMT -6). To find an event near you or even host you own go to calendar.munzee.com.

We thank you again for the good work you have all done. Munzee can do good, but only with the help of our players.

February 19, 2015

Munzee Player of the Week: Mary Ellen Labrecque

This month Munzee has been supporting American Heart Month, from raising money via Candy Heart Virtuals to hosting a heart awareness week with Eventzee. Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men in the US, so it has been important for us at Team MHQ to help promote healthy living. This week’s Player of the Week is Mary Ellen Labrecque who is currently battling heart disease. That hasn’t stopped her from Munzeeing though, as she uses it to keep active during her down time. Mary Ellen’s story inspired hope within us and we hope it does the same for our players.

Mary Ellen is currently in the hospital so her friend and fellow Munzee player Tracy Bergmann (MARTES) has helped transcribe Mary Ellen’s responses.

unnamed-1This is my dear friend and fellow Munzeer, Mary Ellen Labrecque.  She just came home from the hospital, this week, after having a heart transplant in September 2014. She hasn’t been home in over 5 months!  Mary Ellen has a blood clotting disorder which clotted off her heart (heart attack) in March 2013.  She was in a coma for weeks, until they implanted 2 heart pumps internally in her chest, called a Bi-VAD.  This pump came out of her abdomen with 4 hoses which attached to a 40 pound pump on a wheeled cart.  This kept her heart pumping and kept her alive for 18 months while she awaited a heart transplant.  During that waiting time, she was advised to decrease her weight/BMI index, so I introduced her to Munzee, as a way to make our walks fun.  I started deploying in areas where we could walk with her “heart on a cart”.  This is how she got hooked on Munzee.  As complication would arise and I would drive her the 3 hours to the hospital, she would be sitting in the passenger seat checking her phone and capping any virtuals on our route.  Our mid way stretch break at the rest areas, truck stops and Dunkin Donuts had to have Munzees or I would deploy one for her.  I even noticed she capped 2 virtuals we placed for her on her way home 3 days ago.  She hadn’t been home in 5 months, but detoured for her “heart donor” Munzees!  She is just amazing and has survived amazing odds, obstacles and complications to survive this transplant and live for her 4 adopted special needs children.  She gets the biggest smile when she hears that “ding”.  MHQ, I thank you for contributing donations to The American Heart Association.  Also, please consider being an organ donor so that people like my very dear friend, Mary Ellen, can survive and wait times for organ transplants can decrease.

My wish is that someday there will be an artificial heart pump which is able to replace a damaged heart.  This artificial pump would be mechanical and therefore not carry all the risks of rejection.  You see, once a person has a heart transplant, life doesn’t just return to normal.  There is the constant daily battle with rejection of the heart because it is “foreign” and the body tries to attack it.  This requires large doses of steroids to be used to fight this rejection.  These steroids cause our immune systems to be suppressed, thereby making infection a huge threat.  A heart transplant is an absolute second chance gift of life, but does have complications and side effects for life.  I hope with more research, there will be major advancements made in transplants, heart pumps and aftercare.

Who are you?

Mary Ellen Labrecque

Where in the world do you live?

I live in Lewiston, Maine.  My heart hospital is in Brigham & Womens in Boston, Mass.

What do you like about Munzee and how did this help you during your whole experience with heart disease? 

I really like that Munzee got me out of the house and kept me from having to sit in front of the TV all the time.  It allowed me to exercise and lose weight.  I am not in it for the points or badges, I just like to look for them to hear that “ding”.  I just love that!  I tell everyone I ride with about Munzee because I can only cap virtuals right now.  I can tell you that I am constantly looking at the map while I am riding, looking for virtuals.  Oh, and you can’t cap them in the Life Flight helicopter.  I have even tried from the ambulance!  My goal is to be strong enough to be independent by this spring, so I can drive myself to find and cap all the Munzees around here.  There are so many now and it will be good exercise for me.

How do you feel about Munzee donating a portion of money from the sale of virtual hearts to the AHA? 

That is so wonderful and just so amazing.  What a wonderful donation that would be.  Thank you Munzee. I feel so blessed as an individual that people would think so much of others.  They have no idea how much encouragement and empowerment that provides for men, women, children and healthcare professionals’ education.  There is so much education that goes into the level of care I received.  A whole team has to be trained on the heart pumps and then a whole nursing unit of staff and then the care givers who have to be your back-up for the pump when you go home.  For me, I had to travel three hours away to a hospital which was trained on my pumps.  Even the ambulances aren’t trained.  My trained staff at home had to provide emergency care during times of complications and teach the local staff.  When I was in the local hospitals, my own 3 trained family and friend RN’s had to staff me until I could be transported to the hospital 3 hours away.  So much more education is needed.

If you know a player that should be nominated for Munzee Player of the Week, shoot us a message at iLoveYou@Munzee.com and let us know just why this person is outstanding in the global Munzee community!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

February 16, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 13: All You Need Is Love

Our 13th videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2013.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.

This week we talked about:

  • Eventzee Heart Week
  • New Munzee badges
  • Munzee Valentines

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page,

February 11, 2015

From Corporations to Crops: A Story of #HeartHealth

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States, so as we celebrate American Heart Month it’s important to listen to the stories of those around us. The following story is from Kevin Becker, owner of Shutt’er Down Ranch- a partner of the Munzee Marketplace. Although Kevin may work in the fields all day raising chickens, building greenhouses and maintaining the ranch, it wasn’t always this way. 

Kev2Small “I spent my entire adult life in the middle of corporate America. Each week was two or three new cities with no sleep, no exercise and a room service diet,” Kevin said. “All this changed on one of those trips in 2010 when my 49-year-old heart decided that enough was enough.”

Two days later Kevin’s three children watched as their father headed into open heart surgery. The surgeon explain that there was a 25 percent chance that Kevin wouldn’t survive.  

“I decided right then and there that I was going to take control of my health,” Kevin said. 

He kept that promise and a year later Kevin, Seth Thomas, and Cory Sparks started Shutt’er Down Ranch in Farmersville, TX. It’s been five years since that wake up call and Kevin is 50 pounds lighter and his heart is as healthy as ever. Kevin attributes his success to changing the way he eats. He altered his diet to all natural or organic foods whenever possible, and now runs a business producing the very same food he eats.

“I had no idea that it would be so difficult to find all natural foods, not to mention the outrageous costs,” Kevin said. “I’m so excited to be a part of Shutt’er Down Ranch and helping change the way people eat organically.”KevSmall

The Munzee Marketplace is proud to partner with Shutt’er Down Ranch and bring healthy, cost-effective food to the people of North Texas. The Marketplace already has a hard time keeping SD Ranch’s cage-free, organic chicken eggs in stock and there are plans in place to expand this partnership even further. One of the first steps in living healthy is looking at the food you eat, so take Kevin’s story to heart and take care of yours. 

February 9, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 12: Rob V. Bob

Our twelfth videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2012.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.

This week we talked about:

  • Eventzee Launch
  • Eventzee Specials are on the Munzee map
  • Candy Heart Virtuals are no longer on sale, but they’ll be on the map through mid-march
  • Clan Wars Update

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page,