Marion Martell is passionate about health, or more specifically, women’s heart health. There is no doubt that it has been a driving force in her leadership and volunteer work with the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
It is her passion for women’s heart health and for the work being done at the Heart Institute through the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre that inspired her to leave a legacy gift in her will.
As a former nurse, Marion understands the impact that health can have on someone’s life. “I always knew I would be doing something related to health in my retirement,” Marion shared.
Marion is committed to helping women better understand their own heart health and to championing the opportunity to provide education, awareness, and support for women in our community.
Heart health has touched Marion’s life in more ways than one. Her father had valve surgery at the Heart Institute in the 1990s and then in 2008, she herself became a patient at the Heart Institute. Marion had developed sudden onset complete heart block. She required surgery and received a permanent pacemaker. Her firsthand experience as a patient gave her a deeper understanding of the importance of heart health.
As the years passed, Marion became more and more involved in programs connected to
women’s heart health. She became a member of the Women’s Heart Champion Advisory Committee, and contributed to the creation of the Women @ Heart Peer Support Program (a program launched for women with heart disease, run by women with heart disease to provide information, education, and support) and became one of its leaders and continues as both leader and Program Ambassador.
Marion is also involved in fundraising for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. From 2009- 2016 she co-chaired the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Golf Classic which supports the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre and raises awareness about heart disease in women.
Marion’s desire to help women through her volunteer and advocacy work led to her decision to not only volunteer but to also give what she could financially.
Heart disease used to be considered a “man’s disease,” but no longer. Heart disease is a leading cause of death among Canadian women. Although more research is being conducted than ever before around women’s heart health, there is still work to be done in order to better understand how heart disease presents in women.
“There is a gap in education and awareness around women’s heart health,” said Marion. “When I decided to give a legacy gift in my will, I did so in order to help sustain the many valuable and essential programs at the Heart Institute, including those provided by Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre.”
Marion’s legacy gift gives her the opportunity to make a lasting impact on an area that is important to her. “I am simply glad to be playing a small part,” she said. “And doing what I can to remind women that I sincerely take their health to heart.”
A legacy gift through your will can affect the development of new programs to further the research that will become tomorrow’s treatments.
To learn more about the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre, please visit https://cwhhc.ottawaheart.ca.
To learn more about leaving a legacy, please contact the Legacy Gifts team at 613-696-7251 or wjksociety@ottawaheart.ca.