Get your BHF card
An "ID card" for young people with heart
conditions
Ever been questioned about your heart condition by a
teacher or another adult? Or had people make assumptions
about what activities you can and can’t do?
That’s why we have launched the
British Heart Foundation card, a new, free card for teenagers with
an ongoing heart condition. Filled out by a cardiac
healthcare professional, it can be stored in your
wallet or purse and used at times when your heart condition is
questioned or forgotten.
The BHF developed the BHF card as
an easy and discreet way to prove that teenagers suffer
from an ongoing heart condition and might have special
requirements. This could include taking time off school to
go to a doctor’s appointment or using the card to
clarify what types of physical activity you can and can’t
do.
How to get your
card!
Any young person between 13 and
19 with an ongoing heart condition is eligible for the
BHF card.
The BHF card is given
out by cardiac specialists:
- Cardiologist
- Cardiac nurse
- Cardiac Physiologist
You can't order the BHF card online. It must be
issued by one of the cardiac specialists listed above - make sure
you ask for one at your next appointment. The BHF card is not
available from your GP.
Read what some
of our you have told us about the card
Fateha Khanom, a 17 year old girl from London who was
born with a congenital heart disease, said:
"I've had to miss a lot of school in the past
because I've been in hospital and it can be really hard to catch
up. I also couldn't participate in physical education
classes a lot of the time.
"I think the BHF Card is important because
people need to be aware if a teenager has a heart condition. It's
also a great way to explain it to people without making a big deal
about it."
Shub from Oadby, South Leicester. 
“My heart condition doesn’t have a great deal of impact on my
everyday life. I can still exercise, although I’m not able to
participate in any competitive or extreme sports like football,
martial arts or scuba diving.
“When I was at school I could do physical education, but I couldn’t
go on some of the school trips.
“Despite the fact that my condition isn’t extreme, I still think I
definitely would have used the BHF Card. It would have been
valuable for things like asking for water in restaurants, showing
to my teachers at school or when I went to see a doctor abroad,” he
said.