Heartfelt Thanks
“It’s a chilling thought, but without RVH, it’s likely that I never would have survived.”
Brad Ross, Grateful Patient
It was just another Monday when Brad Ross woke up on February 27, 2023.
He started his day with a cup of coffee, had some breakfast and ventured down to his home gym for a workout. He rode his Peloton bike for about 30 minutes, tossed in a load of laundry and then his daughter called.
“We were talking, and I still hadn’t caught my breath,” he says. After ending the call, Brad’s discomfort got worse.
“The chest pains were radiating around my back and down my arms,” he recalls. “I was getting sweaty. I laid down, but I couldn’t get comfortable. I kind of knew deep down that I was probably having a heart attack.”
He was—a life-threatening “widow-maker” heart attack. At 9 am, he asked his wife to call 911.
This triggered the Simcoe Muskoka Code STEMI. This protocol ensures that a patient experiencing a suspected heart attack—no matter where they live in Simcoe County or Muskoka—receives advanced cardiac care at RVH within two hours of first accessing medical attention.
In Brad’s case, less than an hour later, he was whisked up the dedicated elevator in the Emergency Department at RVH and wheeled into the Cardiac Cath Lab where a stent was placed in his artery.
“Almost immediately, I felt relief,” says Brad. “The blood flow was back, and I felt like I could breathe.”
“I am here today because of the leading-edge technology at RVH and because of donors like you.”
Brad Ross, Grateful Patient
Ninety minutes after calling 911, he was in a patient room recovering. Two days later, he went home.
It’s difficult to convey the depth of his appreciation.
“I am here today because of RVH and… the talented people on staff who know what they are doing and the paramedics who got me there so quickly.”
The lifesaving care Brad received at RVH means he’s back living his wild life, enjoying retirement and pursuing the next phase of his career—becoming a barber.
To ensure more patients like Brad can get back to doing what they love after receiving care at RVH, help us grow. Donate today to expand RVH so we can bring more specialized, world-class care to more patients here in Simcoe Muskoka.
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