Hope Sarfi 

Richmond, BC | @Hsarfi

Woman with Lived Experience
Richmond, BC | @Hsarfi

CWHHA member since July 2021

Biography

I am retired and living in Richmond, British Columbia with my husband and daughter near by.  Before retirement I worked for the Canada Revenue Agency in Ottawa.

In February 2014, I had a heart attack and shortly followed by double bypass surgery.  My family physician had not followed up on some of the signs I had leading to my episode due to my lack of knowledge of heart disease in my family history.   I knew nothing about heart disease or a woman’s symptoms of a heart attack.

The following year I joined the newly formed Women@Heart support group in Ottawa.  I became very passionate about women’s heart health and the efforts that the group was involved in.  So much so, that I was asked to tell my story in Readers Digest. 

In 2016, I was invited by Nadine Elias to attend and participate in the working groups at the 2016 Canadian Women’s Heart Health Summit.  It was a heartfelt experience for me as I got to see first hand that important changes were being made to date and in the future.  I wanted to do more.

Therefore, I am very happy to be working with the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance to help grow the awareness in women’s heart health.