Twenty Years of Saving South Asian Hearts
On February 15, 2026, the South Asian Heart Center gathered more than 120 volunteers, health coaches, participants, and staff at Jashn restaurant in Santa Clara. The name of the venue said everything: Jashn means celebration in Hindi. The gathering was exactly that.
The event marked two decades of a mission unlike any other: the first and only organization in the United States dedicated to preventing heart disease and diabetes specifically in South Asians. What began with a founding team, a bold idea, and the first $1 million raised by a small group of believers has grown into a nationally recognized model: 125,000 people reached across 40 states and six countries, 11,500 prevention participants, and eleven peer-reviewed publications reshaping clinical practice nationwide.
Founder and Executive Director Ashish Mathur, who launched the Center after surviving his own health crisis in 2001, reflected on the guiding principle his father gave him: Whatever you do, make sure you save lives. Twenty years of evidence show his and the volunteers’ efforts have done exactly that.
The event also marked the launch of the Billions of Heartbeats Campaign — a $1 million effort to expand the Center's reach into cancer survivorship, screen 50,000 women and young adults, and invest in technology that makes prevention more personal and accessible everywhere. Campaign chair Nivisha Mehta, who said yes to leading the effort in part because her own son is a cancer survivor, announced that $190,000 has already been raised — with early leadership gifts from Renuka and Peter Relan, Girish and Datta Shah, Devang and Sunita Shah, Jayshree and Vijay Ullal, and many more generous donors.
The goal: 160 individuals committing $5,000 or more to reach $1 million by October. The momentum is strong, and the mission has never been more vital.
To support the Billions of Heartbeats Campaign, click here.
