September 25, 2009 - 8:21am
Every single day Diane Shipclark feels lucky to be alive.
That’s because Shipclark, 57, had a massive heart attack two years ago.
Shipclark, an Administrative Assistant at Vancouver Island University, will tell her story on The Beat of Life, a one-hour documentary airing Saturday, September 26 on Global TV.
The Beat of Life weaves together personal stories about women’s heart health and features the songs of three of Canada’s most celebrated female artists - Diana Krall, Chantal Kreviazuk and Deborah Cox.
Their performances were filmed at a benefit concert at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto, and was staged in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s The Heart Truth campaign. The goal: helping women recognize their risk factors of heart disease and stroke.
Poignant interviews, including the one with Shipclark and tri-athlete Judy Campardo, who suffered a stroke at 29 years of age; and the three Latimer sisters, who lost their mother unexpectedly to heart disease at 49 years of age, deliver the message of taking care of your heart.
Two years and a triple bypass procedure later, Shipclark now sees the red flags leading up to her heart attack. “I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and was put on medication 18 months before my heart attack,” she said. "In my mind, I thought, ‘Oh well, the medicine will take care of it, but I continued to smoke and dine regularly on junk food.”
Since her heart attack, Shipclark has changed her eating habits, quit smoking and began exercising.
“Don’t wait until a heart attack forces you to change your lifestyle,” she said.”It’s estimated that you can reduce your risk of heart disease by as much as 82 per cent by eating right, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and getting regular exercise.”
Shipclark participates in The Heart Truth program, speaking publicly about her experience and recovery.
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