RedDAY Stories: Keeping a memory alive

Shaunette Skinner remembers her heart sinking when her phone rang in March 2024. It was a call she was expecting – but not one she was prepared for.

Shaunette took a deep breath and picked up the phone. On the other end, a relative back home in Newfoundland told her that her older sister – 55-year-old Susan – had died following months of complications from a massive heart attack.

“Whether you live next door or across the country, a loss like that is life-changing” says Shaunette, who moved to Waterloo Region nine years ago.

It’s sad to say that it takes something like this to change your perspective on life, but it does. It made me realize I have to take better care of myself.

After losing her sister, Shaunette began eating better and going for regular checkups. She’s tried to be more active by walking and hiking.

A RedDAY to Remember

For RedDAY in 2024 – three months after her sister’s death – Shaunette did a five-kilometre fundraising walk for Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) Foundation with her partner, Lisa, and some friends and relatives.

Shaunette’s team – named Susan's Butterflies in memory of her sister – raised roughly $250. With Manulife’s donation match, her total hit $500. This year, Susan’s Butterflies returns with a goal to raise another $250.

“I always thought RedDAY was a good cause, but it really hit home after losing Susan,” Shaunette says.

RedDAY’s focus on funding preventative cardiac care was also especially meaningful.

The annual fundraiser supports WRHN’s PREVENT Clinic, powered by Manulife, which helps patients identify and mitigate risk factors for heart disease through education, medication management, and referrals and consultations with other specialists.

Shaunette sees how a preventative care program like PREVENT could have helped Susan, whose diabetes and other health conditions increased her risk for heart disease.

That’s why she continues to support RedDAY.

“Sometimes I’ll pick up the phone to call my sister and then think: ‘oh wait, she’s gone,’” Shaunette says.

So, for me, RedDAY is a way to keep Susan’s memory alive.

Join us Sat. June 6 for the Manulife RedDAY Walk in support of preventative cardiac care at WRHN.

Manulife will match donations dollar for dollar, up to $200,000, so every gift – and every step – goes twice as far for high-risk patients in our community.

Story by:

Melissa Couto

Communications Specialist

Let your experience inspire others.

Whether you’re a patient, family member, donor, event participant or proud WRHN staff, sharing your story and connection to Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) is a powerful way to show how donations impact our community in real, tangible ways.

Manulife will match your RedDAY donation dollar for dollar -- up to $200,000 -- for the PREVENT Clinic at WRHN.

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Manulife & Stylized M Design, and Stylized M Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it, and by its affiliates under license.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

RedDAY Stories: Keeping a memory alive

Melissa Couto

Waterloo Regional Health Network Foundation

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