Sarah Blanchard Eng is a stroke survivor, French-trained sommelier, and speaker. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and worked with iconic French wine estates including Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Domaine Guiberteau in the Loire Valley, where she managed international markets as Export Manager. Her deep understanding of gastronomy was shaped by years spent exploring Europe’s diverse culinary traditions—both at the table and behind the scenes.

Sarah’s early career included placements at prestigious institutions such as the Four Seasons Georges V, Le Petit Palais, and the International Organization of Vine and Wine, where she worked alongside legendary figures like Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards and Jean-Michel Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages.

Her work as a wine importer brought her to Italy, where she immersed herself in the language, culture, and regional nuances of Italian wine. It was during a wine buying trip there that, at the age of 29, Sarah suffered a severe cerebellar stroke—alone in her hotel room. The stroke altered her life and her relationship with wine profoundly. In the aftermath, even small amounts of alcohol triggered vision and balance issues, and worsened her stroke-related PTSD. Despite her continued love for wine and its culture, she made the difficult decision to stop drinking.

The experience of confronting mortality at such a young age brought a deep sense of grief and disorientation. Throughout her recovery, Sarah often felt unseen and unheard—especially as a young, high-functioning woman in a healthcare system not built for her experience. Her frustration and determination to create change led her to become a fierce advocate for stroke survivors under 60. She developed peer-led support programs in hospitals and communities, including Canada’s first stroke peer group, which later informed the March of Dimes' national After Stroke program.

Sarah has spoken to cardiology and neurology students at Dalhousie University about the gaps in post-stroke care for younger survivors. She is passionate about making recovery more human, grounded, and realistic—bringing her culinary expertise into her advocacy work to elevate food and cooking as a form of therapy and empowerment.

She currently serves on the board of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, where she also helped host the Women’s Heart and Brain Health Council dinners—merging her background in wine and gastronomy with her desire to inform and inspire. Sarah is also part of a national working group updating Canada’s Best Practice Guidelines for Stroke and Stroke in Pregnancy and serves on the Canadian Medical Association’s Patient Advisory Board. She is a speaker and contributor to Canadian Women with Medical Heart Issues.

Sarah has been featured on CBC National Television, and on both French and English CBC Radio. Her contributions to stroke advocacy earned her the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. She now lives on Prince Edward Island with her husband and two children, continuing to tell stories that nourish, heal, and transform.