Rock Legend Brian May and West End Superstar, Kerry Ellis Team up with Young Hearts Africa to Raise Funds for Heart Surgery for Indigent Children in Africa

November 11, 2021 11:23 PM EST | Source: VOT Sales

Cape Town, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - November 11, 2021) - When the unimaginable happens, young impoverished children in Africa get CHD or congenital heart disease, and they are often denied life-saving surgeries, simply because their families cannot afford the procedures. This is shocking to many Europeans and Americans because so often we forget how lucky we are to have even the most flawed of healthcare systems.

That's why organizations like Young Hearts Africa have to step in to help. The initiative serves the children of Southern Africa by raising awareness and raising funds to perform these life-saving surgeries.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common single causes of death in the continent of South Africa. Founder and chair of the Young Hearts Africa Foundation, Dr. Wilhelm Lichtenberg explains that the burden of this disease is not just devastating for the health and wellness of the children but their families as well. Because of how common this disease is becoming in sub-Saharan Africa, it is nearly 10 times more likely to occur there than in developed countries., Dr Lichtenberg, himself a cardiac surgeon, sees this initiative as being one of the most vital organizations in the world.

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But organizations such as Young Hearts Africa often struggle to maintain enough funding to do the amazing work they set out to do. Finding funding comes from bringing awareness to organizations such as these, so the people of the world can help. That's where a surprising duo, made up of rock legend Queen band member Brian May and Broadway and West End superstar Kerry Ellies come in. They have joined together to help the Young Hearts Africa Organization raise money so that Dr. Lichtenberg and the members of his team can help the children who need it most, with no cost to them or their families.

The first project of the Young Hearts Africa Foundation is a project that will both inspire you and give you something amazing to listen to. The song the project has produced is called "Who Wants to Live Forever", which was one of Queen's biggest hits of the 80s. It's now been given a new arrangement and new purpose to help the Young Hearts Africa Organization.

The song maintains its gorgeous and memorable melody while getting a brand new Broadway infused classic rock makeover, in an arrangement created by musician Riaan Steyn. Steyn has done many things in the music industry, from producing music, arranging songs, and composing some of the best melodies in business. Steyn felt it was important to include the rich sounds of Africa within the song, bringing a fresh take to an old classic.

The song takes this amazing arrangement to the next level mixing the vocals of Wilhelm Lichtenberg and Kerry Ellis, bringing dimension to the sounds and giving it a rich texture. Ellis brings the clear vibrato of Broadway while Lichtenberg (affectionately dubbed the "Singing Surgeon" in his home country of South Africa who has an award winning classical album and several acclaimed music videos in his resume) brings the house down with his incredible tenor. The song also features a full symphony orchestra, a choir, and a rock band, as well as the quintessentially rich African sounds of double Grammy Award winning Soweto Gospel Choir.

The marriage of these musical styles serves as a symbol for what can be accomplished when people from all walks of life and experiences come together and work towards a common goal. May describes the song as "pure genius", and we couldn't agree more.

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All funds raised by the masterpiece that is "Who Wants To Live Forever" will be directly donated to the Children's Cardiac Foundation For Africa and 1000 Hearts initiative by the Christiaan Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. The song aims to assist the Cardiothoracic Surgery division at the Groote Schuur Hospital as well as the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town, who are on the front lines helping children of South Africa and Africa as a whole.

The Young Hearts Africa Foundation is in search of a high-powered network that will help them bring their foundation to America, as well as assist them in promoting the video which was produced to go along with the record (https://youtu.be/FahBuDp2ScI).

Guitar legend Brian May, a partner to the Young Heart Africa group, and the mind behind the lyrics will be visiting South Africa next year to play two concerts to aid the foundation and bring awareness to the cause.

With so much going on in the world right now, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and stagnant. But we must open our minds and our hearts to help these children and their families. Through the simple support of a song that has meant so much to so many over the years, you can help children who aren't able to help themselves.

"Who Wants To Live Forever" gives humanity a chance to come together and protect our most vulnerable all while listening to a beautiful piece of music.

For more information or to donate please visit: Young Hearts Africa , https://lnk.to/WhoWantsToLIveForever

Press Contact:

Email: Info@youngheartsafrica.org

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/103223

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