Art for Hearts is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization using the arts  in the fight against heart disease. Our mission is to alleviate the chronic stress that can lead to heart disease. We use all forms of artistic media (anything from music, poetry, painting, sculpture and photography to t'ai chi, dance and meditation) to overcome debilitating stress.  Our aim is to educate people on the dangers of long-term stress and give them the tools they need to manage that stress. 

Art for Hearts was founded in 2016 by Roy and Angela Sims. It's been a dream of Roy's for nearly 10 years, and it is finally a reality.

In September 2004 Roy was a popular, successful business owner in Swanage, England and was chairman of the local folk festival. On the eve of opening night, he collapsed in pain. On the morning of the festival Roy could stand the pain no longer and was taken to the local Coronary Care Unit. They performed dual bypass surgery and pronounced they’d done all they could and that his Coronary Arterial Disease was so advanced and aggressive he wasn’t likely to live to see Christmas. He was sent home to "make good his affairs”.

Instead, he spent the next 12 years valiantly fighting for his life.

During some of the worst days of his illness in 2007-2008 when he was barely able to get out of bed, a local musician volunteered to teach him to play the flute. This gave Roy an escape from his stress and gave him hope. He used music to give him strength to carry on living. 

He suffered daily debilitating unstable angina attacks and by 2008 couldn’t walk more than 20 yards. His only focus was on surviving each day. By 2014 he’d been placed in day hospice. In early 2015 he was told by the National Health Service in England that he would receive no further treatment. Roy came to the U.S. to get the medical care he couldn't get in the U.K. against his doctors’ advice (they said he wouldn’t survive the flight).  His recovery has been painful and slow and there have been many very scary setbacks. But he is recovering. 

Now he wants to help others avoid going through the nightmare he went through.

Angela Sims is a native Chicagoan. She left a career as Executive Vice President, Strategy Director at Leo Burnett, a large ad agency in Chicago to help make Art for Hearts a reality in Detroit. In her 25 years in the marketing and advertising business, she helped some of the world's most beloved brands renew their image and increase brand love and loyalty. Angela has an MBA with top honors from University of Chicago and decades of experience with data and quantitative research. She is looking forward to bringing Art for Hearts to New Mexico.

Roy Sims was born and raised in London. He was a motorcycle courier for 5 years, traveling 1000 miles a week in London traffic. He has 10 years of experience as a housing manager responsible for maintenance, rent arrears, tenancy rights and all aspects of real estate. He single-handedly rehabbed a former nunnery into the first 4 Gold Star Bed & Breakfast in the local district. As an entrepreneur, he made the Clare House an exemplary local business. Roy was chair of the highly successful Swanage Folk Festival and has extensive experience with event management, talent, security, ticketing, promotion, venue management liaison, accommodation arrangements and local compliance.

Roy and Angela met in London in 1985 at Roy's local pub when Angela was an exchange student. They lost touch for 30 years, but luckily Angela got back in touch with Roy in time (barely) to get him to the U.S. and get him the treatment he needed to save his life. They were married in 2015 and moved to Detroit to get Art for Hearts up and running.