Our group’s founders, left to right: Diane Shipclark and Shelley Wilkins Wallace

The birth of a support group

When Diane Shipclark had a heart attack in July 2007, she soon discovered there was a lack of support for female heart disease patients in Nanaimo, BC. When Shelley Wilkins Wallace had a heart attack in January 2009, her physician, who also happened to be Diane’s physician, put the two in touch. The two women quickly met in person and thus began the start of a women’s support group called Our Heart Sisters for those who have experienced a heart-related issue.

The group slowly grew as new women were given Diane’s contact information from the Nanaimo Heart & Stroke office* or from other women in the group.

In the beginning, the Heart Sisters would rotate their meetings at various members’ homes, initially welcoming three or four women. Through the years, the group’s numbers have increased to more than 20 members. The renamed Nanaimo Heart Sisters meet monthly, on every third Saturday, enjoying lunch at the Country Grocer cafe in central Nanaimo. We trade stories about our health conditions - related to heart disease and/or stroke - and catch up on life in general with each other. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic forced our group to suspend our monthly meetings, but we look forward to getting back together in person post-pandemic. New members are always welcome to attend!

In the meantime, we’re sharing our personal stories about our heart and stroke experiences through this website in hopes of helping others who may experience similar health incidents. Take a few minutes to read about us!

*Due to national downsizing, the Nanaimo, BC, branch of Heart & Stroke (Canada) closed in 2018.