Kenya McAdam is a Jaru and Kira woman from Halls Creek, WA currently living in Katherine, NT. She is a rheumatic heart disease survivor, champion and film director. Kenya speaks with RHDAustralia about the work she's done with us over many years, what it means to be a champion and how she's managed to find strength through her disease. 

Kenya has worked and volunteered generously with RHDAustralia from as far back as 2014. Kenya and her mum, Cherie McAdam, have long been champions before there was a Champions4change program.

Over the years, in an effort to make sure more kids don't have to go through what she's been through, Kenya has shared her survival story at many events to many different audiences. Alongside Dr Suzanne Belton, Noeletta McKenze and other Aboriginal women, Kenya helped to write and direct two films about about fertility, pregnancy and family for young Indigenous women living with rheumatic heart disease.  Kenya had this to say about making the films, "I chose to help create these films because I wanted to help young women living with rheumatic heart disease and make sure they can access information about contraception, pregnancy and planning for a baby. These films reassure young women with rheumatic heart disease that they can have a normal healthy pregnancy; they just need to take extra care of themselves.”

Kenya was also involved in the development of the Treatment Tracker app where she gave invaluable advice on how the app can better serve young people living with monthy injections of penicillin. 

Needless to say, Kenya has been a key member of the RHDAustralia team and we are very grateful for all that she's done to raise awareness and advocate for ending rheumatic heart disease in Australia.