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Virginia Gordon AM

My Activity Tracking

297
kms

My target 42 kms

Donor 30 Brigitte

I think Dangerous Currents is apt for girls like us!! They are subtle and often hard to see.

It's a real thrill to have you join me here with such generosity thank you,

I imagine your day time runs in the mountains are as fresh as my dawn walks down here in the city.


Donor 29 Katrina

Miss our dawn sightings where you were so caring and so stylish. Well, don't miss them in some ways of course.

Thank you for so generously supporting me this year. It really put a spring in my step.

A golden sunrise through the Bali memorial at Coogee. 

Donor 28 Vonnie

Dear Vonnie,

I often feel a little underdressed on our walk - no surprises for you, a photo of the farshion of my city walk on a wet wet day.


Thanks for your generous support each year.  I know how important this cause is in your life and thank you for your trust.


And well done on your own fundraising walk.

Donor 27 Sissy

To my favourite sister, my greatest fan (well, except for another donor in that name) and a generous donor to the cause.

You deserve your own image from your local beach.

Thank you for getting me to the finishing line!!

Donor 26 Taralga Road Mob

SO lovely to have the extended family of cousins with me and for this to happen every year. Thank you Jennie and fam for all your support and encouragement. Means so much.

For you I thought I would select an inspirational Australian who is celebrated along the Writers Walk at Circular Quay - something you have walked so many times on your Sydney visit. Always was, always will be.

i was lucky to spend time with Faith on a couple of campaigns including Women for Wik.


Donor 25 Margot

My dear Margot,

You have been so generous each and every year, and I am deeply appreciative. You also provide such encouragement with your usual optimism and joy.

You will love this photo I am sure. Coogee is a very popular instagram destination for young Japanese visitors. So many dress for the occasion and they frolic along the beach.

Here is one moment of joy of many I see on every walk.

You will see the very tough local, a dedicated runner and swimmer who just charges through them on her straight line across the beach and back. 

Donor 24 Alex

My dear Alex,

A lifetime since that lovely roast dinner with our friends and a while before I get to fly to Adelaide again.

But I love the connection each year and your generosity in donating to this important cause.

it's great having you with me.

I have selected dawn at Bronte for you - a magical chocolate box scale beach which is full of charm.

Donor 23 Amanda

Things we won't be doing at dawn at any time in our future!

Thank you very much for being a donor every year - means more to me than you know Amanda. A cause close to our hearts,  it is such a generous donation and I am grateful.

Sorry this year's campaign was moved to winter so we couldn't spend as much time together at our beloved Sydney Film Festival.

Miss that.

I am recommending in the debrief they return it to October. It's also much warmer and I think more people will get involved!

2 marathons down - even sacrificing walking, immersing myself briefly in the Sydney Film Festival

A lovely fresh walk this morning for #RunForHeart.  

 

 

It is a matter of the mind when the predawn kookaburra chorus wakes me and I think, “Can I face the cold?” “Will I become consumptive in the gripping mist of Queens Park and end up like Violetta?” Aren’t I meant to rest my muscles and not overtrain?

 

 

Much the same as when we did swimming squad training for our Bronze Medallions during Bathurst winters. Sitting huddled around the small heater in the family car (remember the 70s!!), we would hear the crunch of the frosty ice on the grass underfoot as we sprinted to the front door of the Bathurst Olympic Pool at 6am. I now keep my Bronze medallion with my AM as it remains one of the great achievements of my life

 

 

That and completing a City to Surf. I am still surprised that we could dive fully dressed to the bottom of the Bathurst Olympic Pool under the diving boards to retrieve those bricks.

 

 

Have just completed 84.39 kms – 2 marathons to raise funds for essential life-saving research by the @heartfoundationau. You have all been so generous.

 

 

Dawn starts at Coogee. I now get nods from the locals, and the barista knows my order at 545am.

 

 

Three city walks before film screenings to mix it up.

 

 

For my generous donors, you make it all worthwhile. I have selected photos for the first 22 of you, and those can be found on my fundraising pages. Along with happy snaps from each substantial walk.

 

 

 

Immersion in the truly beautiful Sydney Film Festival has significantly reduced walking time.  In previous years, we raised funds in October, where I had every Saturday and Sunday for two big walks a day, but not this time round.

 

 

So, a smaller walking goal this year.  And a larger financial goal.

 

 

Illogical, but you have all been so generous, this has worked. I have heard from some of my donors they love I have completed my walks before they get out of bed at 7. They love that they can see what happens outdoors and to show them sunrises or rainbows they haven’t seen.

 

 

THRILLED to have reached my walking goal earlier than planned.

 

To Anonymous, who generously gave $1020, all donors are equal to me. However, you really, really moved me that you would support me to support the Heart Foundation with such a generous heart. This is important to you as well, and if I am walking in the memory of someone close to you, or to celebrate your recovery, then I feel it is a deep honour to do so.

 

 

Together we have raised $4,199 which is astounding.

 

 

I have two pledges to come, so it’s realistic to now aim to reach $5000, and I think it is within my grasp by the end of this week.

 

 

Please do all you can to encourage me to do my stepping!! I won’t lie, doing this in winter is very tough.

 

 

If you or someone close to you has been touched by heart disease, this is a wonderful way for you to convert it into a more positive future for others.

 

 

Thank you for your generosity and encouragement. Small steps. Big hearts. 


Thank you for walking beside me. #RunForHeart #runforheart#runforheart

 

 

 

Your kindness means the world to me, and it will make a real difference in the fight against heart disease, one of Australia’s biggest health challenges.

 

Donor 22 Steve

So lovely of you to generously support me Steve! Thank you very much.

I'm quite drawn to the small intimate moments before dawn where individuals sit alone  - I often wonder what they are thinking. But love in busy public spaces, the private can be found.

Donor 21 Katrina

Whilst you were sleeping, the surf rescue setup from 545am each morning at Coogee. I like the colours and know from your photographs this may appeal.

Thank you for your great generosity and support Katrina. Means the world to me.

Donor 20 Anonymous

Thank you for your generosity. I am so grateful and pleased to have you join me - possibly for the first year, or maybe even more in recent years.

I thought to pick something that I find comforting. Bringing optimism out of sadness for the local community. At dawn, it stands strong with the sunrise shining through it.

The monument commemorates the victims of the terrorist bombing in Bali, Indonesia in October 2002.

The Sydney Coogee Dolphins Football team lost six members in the bombing and the memorial commemorates twenty of the eighty-eight killed.  Twenty victims of the Bali bombings lived in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and surrounds, from Bondi to Malabar and across to Marrickville, or have strong affiliations through family, friends or sporting club involvement.  Six of these killed were Coogee Dolphins A grade rugby league players.

Donor 19 Taleen

My fellow politico,

I felt this would mean more to you. An inspirational woman and a smart tactical effective politician who setup policies and legislation affecting generations of women.

She loved swimming at Coogee so her swimming friends arranged this small garden outside the surf club.

Thank you for your very generous support of my efforts for the Heart Foundation. So lovely to have you with me on this.

Donor 18 Tidda

my dear Anita,

Marathon Queen. Thank you for generously supporting me and the Heart Foundation each year. Particularly when you are running and raising funds for so many charities yourself.

I think of you running under the big open skies of the Bra enjoying sunrises. So have chosen this gorgeous one from a few beaches up the coast. I note the waves do that criss cross in and out thing that also happens in the bra. Mesmerised by it.

I also like that small moment that looks like a comet bursting through the sunrise. I want to believe that is what I saw at that moment.

Donor 17 Amanda DM

Dear Amanda,

Thank you for generously coming on board. I thought as you are spending more time in Sydney I would choose street art in Fern St Clovelly. Just up the road from the cliffs and the pool, but more importantly around the corner from one of Sydney's most spoiling bakeries Tuga Pastries. You and puppy may need to discover it.


Donor 16 Anonymous

WOW WOW WOW - your donation is soooo generous. I really am blown away by it and the fact I may never know who donated.

But I won't let you down and it really pushed me into completing a second marathon and raising even more funds for heart health and heart research.

For you, I chose 603am at the Rainbow Walk, Coogee. It was freezing in my snowboarder outfit but I am determined to do all I can to help others. 

Thanks for doing that yourself with your significant four figure donation. I am so grateful.

Donor 15 Liz

I am loving your photos and your current grand tour. More spoiling, more wine, more sun than my daily conquests!

Thank you for continuing to support me and the Heart Foundation Liz. Means so much.

For you the colours of dawn at Coogee.

Donor 14 Pete

Gosh I am so happy we are back in touch. Having met in our science days at Sydney Uni, I know you more than most appreciate research!!!

This amuses me - Coogee is instagrammer heaven - pre dawn rows of tourists up and down the beach, and along the beach, capturing the sunrise. Along with all the 20 somethings who meet for sunrise coffees.

Hope we see each other again if you come to Sydney.

Thanks for your generous support.

Donor 13 Andrew

It's been so wonderful to reconnect on facebook and find we share a love of birds and nature.

So Andrew I selected for you a charming moment  - afternoon reflections on Busby Pond in Centennial Park.

Thank you for your generous donation and encouragement.

To think I met you and your lovely wife and children back in 1988...seems just yesterday.

Donor 12 Greatest Fan

I wonder who you are!!! It's a generous donation and a very sweet sentiment. Thank you.

If you are my greatest fan you will know me well  - and know I love the changing turbulence and light of the clouds and the dawn skies.

These are some or the hardy 630am swimmers at Coogee each morning. Day in day out. Mind over matter.

One did tell me today it was warm in the water...lovely in fact.

Donor 11 Coburn family

So generous of you to join me on this great quest to raise funds for heart research. Thank you as a family for your generous hearts in every way.

This is from our beautiful Centennial Park. We are blessed to live in paradise.

Donor 10 Jacquie

I know you love the dramatic skies of the Bra. So thought to share the morning reflection just a few beaches up the coast at Coogee.

So generous you join me each year with such enthusiastic support and a generous heart.

I look every Sunday for the occasional tracklifer at the front of the trams but have yet to see her.

Donor 9 Julie

With your sunny optimism and your magical writing, I felt this rainbow is you dear Julie.

Whilst sad the reason we last spoke, I am so pleased to be back in touch.

May the rainbow light your life.

Thank you for generously encouraging me on this continuing work.

Rainbow over my walking track in Queens Park on sports filled Saturday morning.

Donor 8 Juno

I often think of you, dear Juno, and Robert and Spin. So no surprises when I walk under cockatoos and corellas every day, I have chosen this to thank you for your warm encouragement and donation. Overhead at Queens Park xx

Have you heard of the term ejection fraction or EF?


Essentially it tells doctors how well your heart is pumping and it’s a big deal when it comes to understanding heart failure.


Your EF helps doctors:

✅ Diagnose the type of heart failure you have

✅ Choose the right treatment

✅ Monitor how your heart is doing over time

Had a heart attack recently?

You might feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster, but that's completely normal 🎢

😟 Shock, 😠 anger, 😢 sadness, 😊 relief… there’s no “right” way to feel.

💬 Learn more about the emotional side of recovery and how to manage it:


You’re not alone ❤️

Channelling my inner snowboarder as I embrace the winter mornings

Another wind-assisted walk this morning for #RunForHeart.


59 km now completed. Another encouraging donation on Friday, a second on Sunday, plus two pledges over the weekend, means one marathon is insufficient. I completed my first marathon to raise funds for essential life-saving research by the @heartfoundationau. You have all been so generous. Dawn starts at Coogee has been the theme of week one. I post after every significant walk so visit those snapshots to experience my walks with me.


Over the weekend I decided to reorient my photo focus for week two - would hate to bore you. A city walk to mix it up.


Pace a little slower as I also attended the Sydney Film Festival during the long weekend - my 45th festival!!
It was nice to not walk and to dream big dreams, be totally immersed in superb storytelling and nourish my mind and heart. Together we - you and me - have raised $3,792 which is astounding.


I would love to reach the $4,000 mark, and it is within my grasp.
I won’t lie, doing this campaign in winter rather than October is very tough. If you or someone close to you has been touched by heart disease, I hope I am providing a wonderful way for you to convert it into a more positive future for others.


I hope my walks keep those memories alive or help you feel optimistic that lifesaving research is really changing and saving lives. Thank you for your generosity and encouragement. 💓 Small steps. Big hearts.


Thank you for walking beside me. #RunForHeart #runforheart❤️ #runforheart❤️🏃‍♂️
Your kindness means the world to me, and it will make a real difference in the fight against heart disease, one of Australia’s biggest health challenges.
Thank you.

The silent signs: Heart attack symptoms in women

Heart attack signs and symptoms in women

One of the reasons women tend not to seek treatment for signs of a heart problem early on is that they often don't have the symptoms that we associate with a heart attack. Says Dr Kasargod:

Many women won't get that heaviness in the chest or chest pain that men have with a heart attack. Because their symptoms are different, it's easy to dismiss them as something else and not seek help.

Symptoms of a heart attack in women can include:

  • cold sweats
  • pain in the neck during activity
  • jaw, upper back and left shoulder pain
  • unusual fatigue
  • shortness of breath
  • nausea
  • indigestion.

"Many of these symptoms are easy to dismiss, but it's important to address them quickly," says Dr Kasargod. "If you have any odd sensation or discomfort in the chest, or shortness of breath for more than 10 to 15 minutes, go straight to the hospital. Don't wait, even if you have a GP appointment the next day. Doctors in the emergency department don't mind a false alarm, but we do mind missing that golden opportunity to treat a heart attack."


You can read the full article here:

https://www.blua.bupa.com.au/more-conditions/heart-and-kidney/the-silent-signs-heart-attack-symptoms-in-women?s_cid=eml:PHI:BPMay25:edm:featuredarticle1B:&edm_pid=c0632bf17cdb7c05ba85a1467f651db435dda722c145ec0077003fc6e0174dea

It also contains links to the resources of the Heart Foundation.

Donor 7 Loyal Supporter

Gosh. Who are you? 

I just love my supporters and friends are loyal. I also do love I don't know many of them.

But in real life I must and know you very well for you to donate.

Thank you so much for generously supporting me.


All these early donations really have inspired me to try as hard as I can this year.  As with each of the other years.


Despite it being so cold with mist in the park through which I cannot see my hand. Having been so sick I cannot risk getting sick.


We are together helping others and I hope helping save people's lives.


For you, I have a photo of a small very private moment of someone alone at 540am left to enjoy the possibilities of dawn.

Donor 6 Anne

My dear Anne,

I feel a little plain in my ski clothes - I am not running as you do in your shimmering red dress.

I thought of you when I saw this young girl practicising cartwheels and handstands. Something I can imagine you doing.

Thank you for your continuing support, particularly with the number of challenges, your own marathons, fundraisers and arts charities you also support.

Look what our donations together have achieved - thank you

This blows me away to be honest.

I don't mind where I finish. 

I drive myself to inspire others to aim higher. 

To bring a competitive mindset to encourage others to extend their targets. 

That way everyone who is walking or running across Australia can go all out to raise as much money as we can.

$2 will make a difference. From little things big things grow.

Half a marathon completed!!!

My goal is one marathon this month for the Run For Heart campaign.

I'm pretty excited to have braved the freezing mornings and on day 3 clock this significant milestone.

Every one of your donations makes me try harder and harder. 

And makes every step easier!!

To help life saving research.  

I won't let you down.

Donor 5 Honey Snerbl

Dear Helen,

These girls were practicing before dawn. With an older gentleman training them. I thought of you and wondered if they were some of the many elite athletes with whom you work.

Such focus and determination during the 90 minutes I was walking laps.

Thank you for generously supporting me again this year and the encouragement that has provided.

Donor 4 Anonymous

It's a lovely challenge to choose a photo to best capture the donor. I may never know who you are, but you back me and I thank you for that. The fact you did so at the beginning of the campaign really helped build momentum.

So for you, I hope you like the combination of the inky sky with the white as if lightly painted, the colours of pre-dawn, joining with the astonishing green of the grass reflected so strongly in the water.

Donor 3 Viktoriya

Dear Viktory,

Who finds wonder in small moments of joy. The way the waves turn back on themselves and roll out as the next roll in fascinates me for days.

I also wanted to believe this was a meteor captured in the sunrise off Dunningham Reserve. 

Thank you for generously supporting me and so many charities in so many ways. 

Donor 2 Susan Wyndham

Dear Susan,

We have circled each other for years, only realising when through COVID your five photos per day confirmed we shared some moments of whimsy and wonder. And nature.

So on my second walk of the day, I chose the cactus garden in Queens Park. I love their determination for someone so modern an idea.

Thank you for returning each year to support me and life-saving heart research.

Day 1 thank you to Donor 1 - Rebecca Davies AO

Dear Rebecca,

Knowing your love of nature and the daily reflections of the changing colours of your beautiful garden, I felt this 7am blush of colour in my neighbourhood was you!

One more sleep 🛌

Here is my friend #chatgpt image of me out fundraising!  I think the bot nailed my brief don't you?


⏳  Counting down… #RunForHeart starts 1 June! 

WINTER IS COMING!


🏃‍♀️ one more sleep 💤 to go - thank you 🙏 for your support!


🎉  Let’s make a difference together!

I do encourage you to have regular heart health checks ❤️

The Heart Foundation is thrilled by announcement of a three-year extension to Medicare Heart Health Checks by the Australian Government, securing funding through to 30 June 2028.

This vital program - first introduced in 2019 following strong advocacy by the Heart Foundation and the broader heart health sector - has already led to over 870,000 Australians receiving a Heart Health Check.

The Heart Health Check is a 20-minute appointment with a GP to assess a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke and to support early, proactive steps to reduce risk factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

This extension ensures more Australians can access preventive care that could save their lives. 
Read here for more information on Heart Health Checks 👉 https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart/heart-health-checks

Ever wondered what a stent is actually doing inside the heart? 🤔


When the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, also known as coronary arteries, get too narrow or blocked (often because of a build-up of fatty substance called plaque), blood can't flow properly to the heart. 

This can cause serious problems like a heart attack 💔


To fix it, doctors do a procedure called an angioplasty, where they use a tiny balloon to open up the blocked artery. Then, they place a stent in that spot to keep it open. 


Once the stent is in place, your artery starts to grow tissue over it, so it becomes part of your artery wall! 💡

YOU and ME - together - knocking this fundraising out of the park

Dawn walks, beanie weather, and thousands of sneakered steps — it’s all happening! It is VERY crisp at dawn.

Beaches closed with dangerous currents, walking between storms, and being rewarded with gorgeous sunrises have been the theme for this week.

With just a few days to go until the official start of the #RunForHeart ❤️ campaign on 1 June, I’m feeling incredibly grateful to the wonderful people - ALL OF YOU - who have supported my fundraising efforts so far.

Thanks to your generosity and encouragement, I’ve raised $2,693 for the Heart Foundation—placing me (which is us) second on the national leaderboard!

Your kindness means the world to me, and it will make a real difference in the fight against heart disease, one of Australia’s biggest health challenges.

Together, let’s keep more hearts beating stronger and longer.

Thank you again for walking this path with me. 👟

We did it - top 9 fundraising effort in Australia

💥 I just checked the leaderboard — and I’m sitting at #9 nationally for #RunforHeart Heart Foundation with $1,058 raised!



I’m walking in memory, in hope, and with so much gratitude for each of you, the people who’ve helped get me this far — one step and one donation at a time. 👟❤️



Your support means everything.




#RunForHeart #HeartFoundationAU #Top10Fundraiser #MissVGWalking #WalkingWithPurpose


I know heart disease affects many of you and many who are close to you. 


https://www.runforheart.org.au/fundraisers/virginiagordon

Heartfelt

💬 We’ve done it before — and together, it looks like we can do it again! 

Thanks to your generous donations, I  have already climbed into the Top 10 individual fundraisers in Australia. 

One year I made it into the top 2 for a brief moment - amazing.

Together we will change lives with every dollar. 🏆👣

18 months ago I was in a wheelchair

A lot of people have experienced much worse. So this is not all about me.


But for perspective - to have a Near Death Experience, to be in ICU for 3 weeks on half hour watch for a large part of it - and then to have two periods of temporary paralysis requiring being fed and pushed around in a wheelchair, has changed my life for ever.


To be able to walk to raise funds for The Heart Foundation is something I don't take for granted. 


I am so grateful to be able to walk every day! 


I am grateful that during June I can walk and with your generous support, convert those steps funds to help heart disease research so others may live longer and enjoy  better lives.

Gratitude is something to be considered every day. Walking is a wonderful way to start each day, to focus on the many things and many people for which I am grateful.

I look at this photo and continue to be amazed I am smiling.

Will you help me Run For Heart? (I will actually be walking!)

This June, I'm stepping out in my #BarbieBoxChallenge as “Miss VG – Walking for Research Edition” — walking a marathon to raise funds for the Heart Foundation.


Why? Because research saves lives.


 People close to you. People close to me. Maybe even you.


❤️ If you're able, please consider sponsoring my walk — even a small donation can help fund research that changes lives.


🎯 Not in a position to give right now? A cheer, a share, or a kind word is just as powerful.


Your generosity supports the 1 in 6 Australians living with cardiovascular disease, and helps fund the research and support services that improve diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.


Thanks for being in my corner. Let’s put our hearts into it — together.


 #WalkingForResearch #HeartFoundation #MissVG #ShowYourHeart #LinkedInForGood #BarbieBoxChallenge


👉 Ready to help save lives? I welcome any donation not matter how small or large.

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$4,305

My Goal

$5,000

Select amount to donate

$37
Can help provide training workshops to our Walk Organisers, so they can help more people in their community be active.
$56
Could cover the cost of basic research tools such as syringes, test tubes and flasks.
$109
Can help fund vital research to better diagnose and treat bacterial infections to prevent Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Or enter an amount

$
Donate

to my Sponsors

$1.02k

Anonymous

Congratulations Virginia - such an important cause.

$211

Jennie Gordon

Love your dedication VG, from all the Taralga Road mob

$211

Rebecca Davies

You’re an inspiration VG😍

$211

Viktoriya B

Thank you for supporting this important cause!

$189.90

Anonymous

All power to you, Ruthie! 180 is 10 x 18 (chai, meaning life)

$109

Rob Antulov

Wonderful mission VIginia!

$105.50

Anonymous

$105.50

Jenny Gordon

Wonderful to have you walking for such a good cause Virginia go - amazing your resilience - and what you are achieving!

$105.50

Matched Donation From Rebecca Davies Board Member Heart Foundation

$105.50

Paige And Thomas

Love you Virginia. Thank you!

$105.50

Liz Stephenson

Such an important cause. Thank you for walking each year to raise vital funds.

$105.50

Taleen Shamlian

Well done Virginia! Wishing you the best in health

$105.50

Brigitte Moseley

You go girl!

$105.50

Bev Durston

Love your photos and stories and your dedication to those early morning starts Virginia. Great cause and I hope you feel better for the experience, you are awesome!

$105.50

Ks

Good on you VG

$100

Julie Towart

$100

Anonymous

Go Virginia!

$82.70

Jani Stocker

$63.30

Andrew Hollo

A wonderful thing to do! Go, Virginia 🥰💪

$54

Jacquie Riddell

Always delighted to support you VG, and keep up the great work!

$52.75

Steve Mark

$52.75

Honey Snerbl

Good on you Virginia, a great cause !

$52.75

Amanda Mark

Great initiative Virginia. Thank you

$52.75

Anne Frankenberg

You are an inspiration, VG!

$52.75

Pete Johnson

All the best, you’re an inspiration. Great cause, medical research can never be undervalued

$52.75

Amanda Di Medici

$52.75

Anita Heiss

Thank you, Virginia, for all you do for the community.

$52.75

Susan Wyndham

Walk well Virginia. Your progress is inspiring.

$52.75

Alex Hirford

Go well Virginia!

$52.75

Juno Gemes

Enjoy your walks . May they add to your good health . Juno x

$52.75

Julie Ditrich

$52.75

Margot

Well done Virginia. Such a great cause. ❤️

$50

Mark Mcintosh

What an angelic portrait VG. Here's some more motivation for you.

$40

Your Greatest Fan

$40

Loyal Supporter

$39.04

Go V

$36.93

Tony Coburn

Well done Virginia Grateful for you Love The Coburn family

$31.65

Katrina

Go Virginia - keep those steps up !

$31.65

Matched Donation From Rebecca Davies Board Member Heart Foundation

$30

Vonnie Connell

You are such an inspiration Virginia - such a worthy cause.

$30

Matched Donation From Rebecca Davies Board Member Heart Foundation

$21.10

Sharon Kingston

Well done Virginia

$20

Virginia Gordon Am

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