A Unique Group of Heart Transplant Recipients
Welcome
Welcome to HeartLinks Manitoba
Heart Transplant Recipients Dedicated to Organ Donation Awareness and Providing Information and Support to its members
In Heartlinks You Will Find
News/Events
HeartLinks Manitoba will hold its 2025 AGM and Christmas party on Thursday, December 4th from 4-7 pm at St. Boniface Hospital, 3rd Floor Asper Building. Invitations have been sent to all members. HeartLinks Manitoba held its annual summer picnic on Saturday, June 7th, 2025! Please visit our events page to see pictures and read details.
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HeartLinks Manitoba will hold its 2025 AGM and Christmas party on Thursday, December 4th from 4-7 pm at St. Boniface Hospital, 3rd Floor Asper Building. Invitations have been sent to all members. HeartLinks Manitoba held its annual summer picnic on Saturday, June 7th, 2025! Please visit our events page to see pictures and read details.
Organ and tissue donation saves lives. By registering your intent using Manitoba's online organ and tissue donor registry www.signupforlife.ca information about your donation decision will be available and accessible should it ever be required. As 2024 rolled to a close and we begin the start of a new year, another 1,000 new registrations have been added to Manitoba's online organ and tissue donor registry www.signupforlife.ca The registry now holds more than 71,000 registrations! Nearly everyone has the potential to be an organ and tissue donor. One donor can save the life of eight people and enhance the quality of life for another 75 through the gift of tissue donation. Registration takes two minutes and three pieces of information; name, birthday and nine-digit health number. In 2024, there were 2 heart transplants, 74 kidney transplants by both deceased and living donors, 14 lung transplants and 23 liver transplants. We as a group of grateful organ recipients will continue in doing our part to spread organ and tissue donor awareness to maintain and increase these statistics!
Health/Information News and 2024 Transplant Manitoba Wrap up
Dr. Shelley Zieroth, Principal Investigator, Medical Heart Failure Program, was presented with the Canadian Heart Failure Society (CHFS) Annual Achievement Award on October 24, 2025.
This is one of the highest honours in the field. The award recognizes members who have made significant contributions to heart failure research, care, and ed
Dr. Shelley Zieroth, Principal Investigator, Medical Heart Failure Program, was presented with the Canadian Heart Failure Society (CHFS) Annual Achievement Award on October 24, 2025.
This is one of the highest honours in the field. The award recognizes members who have made significant contributions to heart failure research, care, and education.
Dr. Zieroth joined the Section of Cardiology at St. Boniface Hospital in 2006 and is a Professor in the College of Medicine, Max Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, cross-appointed to the Department of Pathophysiology and Pathology at the University of Manitoba. She completed her medical, Internal Medicine, and Cardiology training at the University of Manitoba and a Postdoctoral Clinical Fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant at Toronto General Hospital.
Her research focuses on heart failure and cardio-kidney-metabolic interactions. She holds leadership roles in international clinical trials, serves as Associate Editor for JACC Heart Failure, the European Journal of Heart Failure, and the European Heart Journal, and is a governor for the American College of Cardiology representing Canada. Congratulations Dr. Zieroth, your HeartLinks Manitoba patients are very proud!
Nurses week 2024 was May 6-12th. The year's theme is: Changing Lives, Shaping Tomorrow. Visit our health and information news page to read a fantastic story published by St. Boniface Hospital Foundation (SBHF) featuring our very own transplant nurse Shari Barker. Nurses play a crucial role in directly impacting the lives of patients. Through their care compassion and expertise, they contribute to positive changes in the health and well being of their patients. HeartLinks Manitoba, along with SBHF celebrate Shari Barker's incredible nursing skills and most importantly, her care and compassion for each patient. Additionally, Shari was presented with a nursing award at the St. Boniface Hospital. Dr. Michael Helewa and Alan Scramstad were both in attendance for Shari's award presentation. We Love you Shari! It's that time of year to look back and wrap up 2024. The signupforlife.ca organ and tissue donor registry logged 1,000 new registrations in 2024, bringing the total number of registrations since the launch of the registry in 2012 to more than 71,000 ! Manitoba's many community partners such as blood.ca and Transplant Manitoba-Gift of Life continue their work to raise organ and tissue donor awareness. 2024 statistics are not yet in however, 2023 saw a total number of multi organ deceased donors in Manitoba of 30. Specifically, there were 11 lung, 83 kidney, 16 liver and three heart transplants. These transplants could not happen without organ and tissue donors who register. Our news section includes a wide variety of health, wellness and research articles. We have also dedicated a page for the Manitoba Organ and Tissue Task Force which you will find at the top of our home page. You will also find updated information and news articles important to heart transplant recipients and their families and friends. News that can impact and enhance our lives!
Heart Transplant Stories
Heart Transplant Stories
Do you find yourself spending an increased amount of time at home, whether it be by working remotely or maybe retired? This can be a great opportunity to write your transplant story to share here. You can contact any board member and we will be happy to help you if you wish for assistance in putting your thoughts to paper. As heart transp
Do you find yourself spending an increased amount of time at home, whether it be by working remotely or maybe retired? This can be a great opportunity to write your transplant story to share here. You can contact any board member and we will be happy to help you if you wish for assistance in putting your thoughts to paper. As heart transplant recipients, we are a unique group. As individuals we each experience our own journey through heart failure to transplant and living post transplant differently. If you are a heart transplant recipient, on the transplant list, or living with heart failure we would love to hear from you and share your story here! These stories help connect us as a community.