Marion Martell

Manotick, Ontario | @marion_martell

Woman with Lived Experience
Women@Heart Program Ambassador and Support Leader
Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre
Board of Directors, University of Ottawa Heart Institute Patient Alumni

CWHHA member since 2018.

Biography

My husband and I live in Manotick, a village community outside of Ottawa. I have been involved with working with the public my entire career. My focus has been in areas of health, management, business development, sales, coaching, training, communications, and charity work.

In 2007, I began fundraising for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. I served as co-chair to a charity fundraising event called the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress Golf Classic. This all-female golf charity tournament’s focus is to raise awareness of heart disease in women. The funds from this charity tournament go to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre, and in the 13 years since this charity event has been taking place, over $1,000,000 has been raised. This charity event is spreading the word about women's heart health but we still have some work to do to continue to raise awareness. 

In 2008, while in my 50’s I became a heart patient. I developed Sudden Onset Complete Heart Block. Having Complete Heart Block required a permanent pacemaker. With no previous warning signs this was quite a shock to me. 

Needless to say, I am grateful to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. This gratitude has inspired me to focus my efforts on giving back as well to further raise awareness of heart disease in women. There were and are many facts of women's heart health that I was not aware of and I assumed other women might be in the same situation.     

In 2013, I was invited to be part of the Women@Heart Champion Advisory Committee for the Heart Institute's Prevention and Wellness Centre. With the launch of the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre, one of the centre initiatives was the Women@Heart Peer Support Program.