After a heart crisis: I still ride on the open road and help other women find their path 

My lungs were full of blood, and I was drowning, gasping for air. 

I remember the moment that the social worker asked me gently if all my papers were in order. I sensed my healthcare team was preparing me for the worst-case scenario. I was a single woman by choice and lived life on my own terms. I wanted to die that way, too. 

So how did I get here?

As one of nine girls, I grew up in Buckingham on a big family farm. While my sisters dreamt of dolls and horses, I dreamt of riding a Harley on the open road. I don’t know where it came from, but from a very early age, that is all that I ever wanted. 

I went to school to get a job that would help to fund my bike “habit.” I was living my best life, with a place in the country. However, there was a looming shadow on the horizon and that shadow was heart disease. 

A deadly family legacy 

Family genetics played a big part in my approaching heart crisis. I witnessed my loved ones succumb to heart disease one by one. My mom had Indigenous ancestry, and we now know that genetics plays a big part in cardiovascular-related diseases. Indigenous, First Nations, and Métis people are at an increased risk due to genetic, environmental, and historical reasons. I believe this fact absolutely impacted the health of my family.

For almost a decade, I had been hit by debilitating dizzy spells. I had no idea what was wrong and was short on answers. I sometimes wonder if it’s because I am a woman that my symptoms were so easily dismissed and that it took so long for me to get the care that I needed.

Then, one day, my body just shut down. Tired of seeing me suffer like this for years, my friend took the initiative to get me to the hospital. I was terrified of hospitals and had avoided them at all costs — with good reason. 

Just two years before, one of my sisters had my very same symptoms and had died in hospital in her early fifties. How grateful am I that I had a very different experience?  

An entire team was there for me

One thing is for sure: at that moment at the Heart Institute, while I felt scared, I was also relieved. For seven years, my quality of life had diminished, and I had very few answers. Now, I was surrounded by a whole team working against time to save me. 

They took over. I remember the compassionate care of the nurses especially.

They worked to drain the blood from my lungs at regular intervals while performing a series of tests. Even now, when I think of the Heart Institute, as weird as this sounds, I feel calm and safe. They did figure it out. I had a malformation of my aortic valve. My heart did not have the blood it needed to pump, and my aorta kept closing. Eventually, I underwent surgery, and I received my new mechanical valve. I also started to take medication, which helped to keep me stable and healthy.

Returning to serve

I have returned to the Institute many times, mainly as a volunteer. I intuitively knew that I needed to give back to the place that had saved my life. I decided the first way I could do this was by supporting other women who have been through a heart-related event, just like me. 

In 2016, a year after my heart crisis, I changed calamity into connection when I joined the Women@Heart Peer Leader program. I regularly share my personal experience and support other women as they go through the scariest and most vulnerable times in their lives. 

After retiring from my position as a Change Management Manager at Canada Post in 2021, I had more time to dedicate to the Heart Institute, so I joined the Patient Alumni’s Board of Directors in 2022 to be part of a great team of people whose mission is to be the voice of patients and their families at the Institute.

This year, I will continue to volunteer. Plus, I also get to be an ambassador for JUMP IN. 

JUMP IN is a nationwide physical activity challenge in support of women’s heart health. I challenge you to join me and get active for 30 minutes a day for 30 days this September. I will be reaching out to other patients, friends, and family to raise money and awareness of heart disease in women. 

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Heart disease is still the number one killer of women. I am so glad that I get to advocate for myself and other women today so we can change this terrible statistic in the near future.

Until then, I will still be jumping on my motorbike, any chance that I get, enjoying my healthier heart.