Grateful to be alive, Brian is giving back
Winter 2026 Impact Report
Brian and Denise Kirby’s legacy gift will fund research and support for families facing heart disease and stroke. Brian Kirby remembers the day that his life changed. In 2005, what began as a visit to his doctor’s office for shortness of breath led to an urgent diagnosis: coronary heart disease. He expected to be scheduled for an angioplasty – instead, his doctor told him that he’d need immediate surgery to survive. A few days later, Brian had a triple bypass – a heart surgery that creates new pathways for blood flow to the heart by grafting three healthy blood vessels to bypass three blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. The operation saved his life. Thanks to skilled care and determination, Brian has recovered – changing a diet that included “lots of sweets since childhood” and now walking at the local mall, where strangers have become supportive friends.
A life-saving gift, a legacy of hope Your legacy gift will make an impact for generations to come. Together, we can build a future where everyone enjoys a longer, healthier life uninterrupted by heart disease or stroke.
Grateful for his second chance, the retired Parksville B.C. parish priest wanted to give back. He and his wife Denise decided to leave legacy gifts in their wills to Heart & Stroke and several other charities close to their hearts: “We want to keep things simple for our family and ensure the charities get as much of the gift as possible,” Brian shares. More than survival, his story is about hope for the future. By helping to ensure others have the same chance Brian did, Brian and Denise will continue to have an impact for generations to come. You can, too.
Contact numbers are:
To learn more about legacy giving, visit: heartandstroke.ca/legacy
Mary Goodfellow - ON 1-800-205-4438 Susan Deike - BC, YK, AB, NWT, SK, MB 1-403-451-3675 Angela Gresseau-Okalow QC, NS, PEI, NL 1-416-386-4517
A gift of securities is one of the most cost-effective ways to support the cause that’s close to your heart. Learn more at: heartandstroke.ca/securities
3 easy and secure ways to make your special gift today: Mail Return the reply card in the postage paid envelope provided
Phone 1-877-882-2582
Online heartandstroke.ca/impact or scan the QR code
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© Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2026 | ™ The heart and / Icon on its own and the heart and / Icon followed by another i con or words are trademarks of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Beat as one Big breakthroughs. Better health. Because of YOU.
THIS is the impact of research: Meet Dr. Lori West As a professor of pediatrics at the University of Alberta and director of the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Dr. Lori West has been a trailblazer in pediatric research for nearly three decades.
“ I don’t know that I could have launched my research career without the support of Heart & Stroke funding. ”
Redefining what’s possible for infants born with lifethreatening heart defects: In the 1990s, while leading the transplant program at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, her Heart & Stroke-funded research revealed a ground-breaking truth: unlike adults, infants have immature immune systems that do not yet generate antibodies against other blood types.
Dr. West’s pioneering procedure is standard practice worldwide: Just days after turning 18, Caleb sent Dr. West a note on Valentine’s Day: “I thought this would be a good time to just say, thank you for my life.”
She dared to ask what no one else had: Could this allow babies to receive heart transplants from donors with different blood types? The answer was yes. That was confirmed in 1996, when baby Caleb got an ABO-incompatible heart.
Dr. West now leads research into transplant rejection and the side effects of immunosuppressive drugs, recently developing a more precise blood test to improve transplant safety and outcomes.
Her breakthrough revolutionized transplant medicine: By significantly increasing the organ donor pool and dramatically decreasing wait-list mortality, Dr. West’s discovery meant very sick babies can receive transplants sooner – to live full lives.
You’re funding more breakthroughs: Across Canada, Heart & Stroke-funded researchers are pioneering life-saving medical firsts, uniting the brightest minds to achieve what was once thought impossible – all thanks to you.
INSIDE:
Our new Risk Screen tool Page 2
– Dr. Lori West, University of Alberta
How AI is saving more hearts Page 3
From survival to giving back Page 4