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.