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Join us in the fight against stroke

Stroke: An Urgent Threat

Every year in Canada, 62,000 strokes occur. It is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability. Strokes have a devastating impact on Canadian families, and can change lives in a second. 

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Despite improvements in stroke death rates in BC, there is still much more work to do. Canada's aging population will significantly increase the prevalence of stroke over the next 20 years. The gender health gap also affects stroke, as one third more women will die of stroke than men. Geography and socioeconomic status continues to impede equity in optimal stroke treatment and care. And currently more than half of people with stroke arrive at hospital outside the current treatment window for time-sensitive therapies. 

Six days. That’s how long it took from the time 26-year-old Jessica Shirra felt a snap in her neck — followed by blurry vision in one eye and a splitting headache — to the time she was diagnosed with stroke.

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Saving more lives, together

This year at the Heart & Stroke Gala, we will join together to raise $1M to fund:

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  • Breakthrough research to save lives

  • Awareness-raising initiatives like the FAST Campaign signs of stroke

  • Increased awareness about women's brain health

  • An update of the world-leading stroke best practices

  • A digital platform to support patients and their caregivers

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You can be a part of this effort to fight back against stroke and save more lives. 

How Max saved his dad

Just 5 days after his school held a Jump Rope for Heart assembly, Max's dad Mike had a stroke. Thanks to Heart & Stroke's life-saving lesson on the FAST signs of stroke, eight-year-old Max helped the 9-1-1 operator identify his dad was suffering a stroke.

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