Making connections with other people who understand your circumstances can make all the difference in how you feel, cope and interact with those around you. It has been established that a person’s quality of life is enhanced by participating in support groups and making that contact with someone else with the same condition.
Dedicated caring volunteer members run the Support Groups. Through sharing useful hints and tips with one another, providing support to each other, and soaking-in information from a healthcare professional‘s presentation, people are able to live more comfortably with Sjogren’s.
Local Support Persons
Along with Support Groups, Local Support Persons continue to take root and grow across Canada. In the absence of a Support Group in the area, volunteer Local Support Persons provide information, coping strategies and support to Sjögren’s syndrome patients by telephone. Support Persons provide important assistance to people with Sjögren’s.
Alberta
Calgary
Support Group Leader: Heather Foisy
Contact Information: heatheryaskiw@gmail.com or 403-466-8483
Edmonton
Support Group Leader: Sandra Anderson
Contact Information: sandraaa@telus.net or 780-434-8808
British Columbia
Fruitvale
Support Group Leader: Dawn Minton
Contact Information: dm.minton@yahoo.ca or 250-231-9766
South Fraser Region/Vancouver Island
Support Group Leader/Local Support Person: Marilyn Mulldoon
Contact Information: mmulldoon.sjs@gmail.com or 250-495-0666
Vancouver
Support Group Leader: Sally Speers
Contact Information: speerssally@gmail.com or 778-371-4664
Okanagan
Support Group Leader: Lois Shumyk
Contact Information: loisdelaine60@gmail.com or 250-542-3462
Manitoba
Winnipeg
Support Group Leader: Phyllis Hirota
Contact Information: manitobasjogrens@shaw.ca or 204-477-5158
Ontario
Brantford/Paris
Support Group Leader: Eden Hagan
Contact Information: edensjogrens@hotmail.com or 519-717-9140
Ancaster/Hamilton/Burlington/Oakville
Support Group Leader: Derya Kolcuoglu
Contact Information: 905-304-9193
Durham Region
Support Group Leader: Kathy Karvonen
Contact Information: kathy.karvonen@gmail.com or 905-668-9583
Cambridge/Guelph/Kitchener
Support Group Leader: Joyce Hambly
Contact Information: jjhambly@rogers.com or 519-632-9366
London
Support Group Leader: Lucie Sollazzo
Contact Information: (519) 667- 1372
Windsor
Support Group Leader: Jennifer Miner
Contact Information: jlminer2019@gmail.com or 519-564-0944
Toronto
Support Group Leader: Wendy Shingler
Contact Information: wshingler@interlog.com or 416-960-0668
Woodbridge
Support Group Leader: Mary Lou Rashid
Contact Information: 905-605-1826
Niagara
Support Group Leader: Catherine Wight
Contact Information: florweeden@hotmail.ca or 905-835-7766
Aurora
Local Support Person: Gail McIntyre
Contact Information: 905-727-4501
St. Catharines
Local Support Person: Elise Mathie
Contact Information: 905-684-7569
Ottawa
Local Support Person: Gail MacDonald
Contact Information: 613-526-5433
Sarnia
Local Support Person: Carolyn Minielly
Contact Information: 519-542-4874
Quebec
Montreal
Local Support Person: Amy Schellenberg (English only)
Contact Information: 514-208-3277
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer Support Group Leader or Local Support Person, please phone the Sjögren’s Society of Canada at 1-888-558-0950 or send an email to: info@sjogrenscanada.org.
