We had a great turnout of 17 members at our Heart Month Luncheon on February 16 in North Nanaimo.

During the luncheon, Heart Sister Heidi Stokes (above) advised us that she is a certified presenter with the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance (CWHHA).

To that end, Heidi said she’s available to visit groups in and around Nanaimo and north to Qualicum, providing important information about heart disease in women, the leading cause of death for women worldwide. She can cover such topics as: how to recognize heart attack symptoms; the common types of heart disease; what individuals can do to reduce their risk of heart disease, and more.

For more information, call or text Heidi at 604-762-6757 or email her at heidi.heartmatters@gmail.com

Heart Month 2025

When a group of our Nanaimo Heart Sisters gathered on February 16, 2025 at the Longwood Brew Pub & Restaurant in North Nanaimo, our purpose was not only to celebrate Heart Month, eat a tasty buffet lunch and also play some games.

We also took the opportunity to do some serious fundraising for a new catheter lab, which is slated to be located at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) and serve residents of the Central and North Vancouver Island.

All told, the Heart Sisters raised $1,380.00 which was donated to the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation. The funds were earmarked for the foundation’s Heart and Stroke Care fundraising campaign, specifically for the construction of a mobile or stationary catheter lab and the necessary equipment.

Thanks to our successful fundraising, a plaque with the Nanaimo Heart Sisters’ name will be hung in NRGH.

After the luncheon, our co-founder Diane Shipclark saluted her fellow Heart Sisters.

“It makes my ‘heart’ so happy to know that the Nanaimo Heart Sisters will have a plaque on the wall at the hospital,” said Diane. “Thank you all for your support. The lunch was awesome, the company was great and the games were a hoot! Can't wait until next year.”

Diane also gave a special thanks to Heart Sister Carol Roworth who took on the task of accepting the donations, tallying the amount, and submitting our contribution to the hospital foundation.

“As Carol mentioned, the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation was extremely happy with the donation,” said Diane.

Our co-founders, (left) Shelley Wilkins Wallace and (right) Diane Shipclark brought some fun games of chance for everyone to play at the luncheon.