be near to (one's) heart

be near to (one's) heart

To be personally important to or loved by one. That old dog is very near to my heart.See also: heart, near

be close/dear/near to somebody’s ˈheart

be a person or thing that somebody is very fond of, concerned about, interested in, etc: The campaign to keep our local hospital open is something that is very close to my heart.See also: close, dear, heart, near