Welcome to the Nanaimo Heart Sisters, a support group for women living on Central Vancouver Island, BC, who have experienced heart or stroke health issues.
Our group’s mission is to create a safe and supportive space for women of all ages who want to share their experiences about surviving heart disease or stroke incidents in their lives.
Did you know?
Heart disease and stroke are the #1 cause of premature death for women in Canada.
Heart disease and stroke claimed the lives of more than 32,200 women in Canada in 2019.
Every 17 minutes, a woman in Canada experiences a stroke. Out of a daily total of 85 women, 18 of them will die. In Canada, up to one-third more women die of stroke than men.
One-half of women who experience a heart attack have their symptoms go unrecognized.
Indigenous women have a 53 per cent higher death rate from coronary heart disease than non-Indigenous women.
Sources - from the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada:
Lives disrupted: The impact of stroke on women – 2018 Stroke Report
System failure: Healthcare inequities continue to leave women’s heart and brain health behind - 2023
HEART MONTH FEBRUARY 2026
Heart Month (February 2026) has wound down for another year but there is still one more related event on our calendar:
On Monday, March 9, 2026, Heidi Stokes, one of our Nanaimo Heart Sisters, will present a Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance (CWHHA) information table at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria from 9 am to 3 pm. Heidi is a certified presenter with the CWHHA, sharing important information about women’s heart health.
See more below about Heidi’s recent presentation in Nanaimo.
Heart Sister Heidi Stokes was at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Friday, February 13, where she presented an information table on behalf of the Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance (CWHHA). Heidi provided important facts, figures and graphics about heart and vascular disease in women, which is the #1 killer of women worldwide.
Heidi is a certified presenter for the CWHHA and is available to do group presentations. For more information, call or text her at 604-762-6757 or email heidi.heartmatters@gmail.com.
Heart Sisters Diane Shipclark (left) and Claire Clark (far right) dropped by to support Heidi’s advocacy for women’s heart health.
(second from left) Janice Krall, Chief Development Officer, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation, also stopped by to support Heidi.
NEWS ABOUT HEART DISEASE AND STROKE:
February 24, 2026 - What Every Woman Needs to Know About Heart Disease - Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center Director Discusses Myths, Warning Signs, Steps Women Can Take to Protect Their Hearts, and the Growing Heart Attack Risk for Younger Women
February 23, 2026 - Women suffer heart attacks too. Understanding risks, symptoms and how to save yourself
February 13, 2026 - Women’s heart symptoms can look different, expert warns
February 11, 2026 - From the Desk of Barney Ellis-Perry, CEO - Heart Month Spotlight: Local Survivors Call for Life Saving Cath Lab
February 3, 2026 - Heart & Stroke report: New data provides big picture of heart and brain risk factors
January 3, 2026 - LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Heart and stroke patients understand need for cath lab
ADVOCACY EFFORTS FOR A CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LAB AND PATIENT TOWER TO BE BUILT IN NANAIMO, BC
The advocacy campaign by Nanaimo community groups calling for a cardiac catheterization lab and patient tower to be built at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) received a major kickstart in early December 2025.
At a board meeting on December 9, 2025, the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD) unanimously passed a motion stating it would cover all up-front construction costs for a cardiac catheterization lab so that it could be built immediately at NRGH. The proposed up-front financing would cover planning, construction, and equipping of a cath lab.
For a detailed explanation of the motion, which is being characterized as a loan to the BC provincial government, read this Nanaimo News Bulletin article: Nanaimo hospital district offering loan to expedite cardiac cath lab at NRGH.
Nanaimo Heart Sisters - Advocacy
The Nanaimo Heart Sisters support the Fair Care Alliance, a coalition of concerned medical, healthcare, business and community professionals and citizens who are leading the advocacy efforts to ensure fair access to health care for the 490,000 people living north of Victoria, in Central and North Vancouver Island. Specifically, the Alliance is advocating for a cardiac catheterization lab and patient tower to be built at an expanded NRGH.
In support of the Alliance’s efforts, the Nanaimo Heart Sisters submitted an opinion piece (an op-ed) to the Times Colonist newspaper calling for a cardiac catheterization lab to be built at NRGH. It was published in the newspaper on Dec. 4, 2025. You can read the op-ed here.
We also submitted a Letter to the Editor to the Nanaimo News Bulletin on the need for a cardiac cath lab in Nanaimo that was published in the newspaper’s print edition on Dec. 31, 2025, and in the paper’s online edition on Jan. 3, 2026. You can read the letter here.
FROM THE HEART & STROKE FOUNDATION:
January 5, 2026 - Sign up here for the monthly Healthline newsletter from the Heart and Stroke Foundation to receive healthy recipes, lifestyle tips and women’s health news
Heart & Stroke report: Winter 2026 Impact Report
Heart & Stroke report: Fall 2025 Impact Report
Stroke - “I am here for a reason.” Lynne’s Indigenous culture helped sustain her through a devastating stroke
Interesting links about how to prevent and manage heart disease and stroke:
Heart Sisters - For women living with heart disease, this website offers insight from the perspective of Carolyn Thomas, a Mayo Clinic-trained women's health advocate, heart attack survivor, blogger, author, speaker on the west coast of Canada
Mind Space - British Columbia - Skills for wellbeing, learning how to manage your mental health, and connect with community in a supportive space
Island Heart to Heart - All you need to know about cardiac rehabilitation
Feel Healthy with Dr. Scott Lear - Visit this blog written by a Vancouver-based professor at Simon Fraser University who conducts research into the prevention and management of heart disease focusing on supporting healthy lifestyles. Dr. Lear also holds the Pfizer/Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair in Cardiovascular Prevention Research at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC.
Latest Heart & Stroke research breakthroughs - Read about the work researchers are doing to beat heart failure and stroke
The impact of COVID-19 - Learn how the coronavirus has impacted people living with heart disease or stroke
Island Health - Heart Health Services - Find out about the Island Heath services for those living with cardiac disorders
The Nanaimo Heart Sisters meet on the third Saturday of every month. For information about time and location, contact Diane Shipclark at dshipclark@hotmail.com