Aortic surgery in a pandemic: How this GADA member thrived!

 Written in 2020 by Liz Martin

Dear GADA Canada family, friends, and supporters,

Together and separately, we’ve been through a lot this year. We’ve been frenetically guarding against a novel, unpredictable virus, and managing the challenge of our homes being turned into workplaces, schools, and childcare centres. Some of us have had friends, family, or our own health jeopardized firsthand by the COVID-19 virus.

In the midst of a pandemic, many of us have had to figure out how to deal with non-COVID health urgencies and emergencies. This was the case for me. 2020 was not only the year of COVID, but also of my first open heart surgery.

My anxiety skyrocketed on June 10 when I was told that the time was imminent for my aortic root to be replaced. This wasn’t a complete surprise. The writing had been on the wall for some time.

I had been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in infancy, thin and wispy a baby as I was and so similar to my two older siblings with Marfan diagnoses. It was somewhat remarkable that I’d made it into my 30s without needing any heart valve or aortic surgeries, given that my brother and sister before me had surgeries in their teens and 20s.

Still, my thoughts were dominated by one question when I was told of the need for surgery ASAP: Now? Now you want me to have this surgery, while the health system is stretched to its brink fighting off a fatal virus?

For those of us with aortic disease, timing is everything. Timing is the difference between an easy recovery and a difficult one. It’s the difference between a relatively problem-free future and one filled with surgeries and elevated risk of early death. It is the difference between life and death itself. This was something I understood. I got straight to work getting myself prepared for surgery.

I knew I’d need to enlist support to prepare me and keep my spirits up during recovery. One of my strategies while waiting for and recovering from surgery was running a contest for my friends and family. I invited them to place bets on my surgery date and when I'd be able to complete some post-surgery fitness challenges, such as walking 10,000 steps in a day.

Everyone who participated in my contest was asked to make a $20 donation to GADA Canada. Because GADA Canada (and the Canadian Marfan Association before it) has been such a valuable source of information and support to my family and me for more than 20 years, I wanted to use my aortic surgery as an opportunity to raise awareness and give back to GADA.

GADA has been behind the advancements in clinical care that made it so easy for me to get the surgery I needed by one of North America’s best cardiovascular surgery teams, led by Dr Maral Ouzounian (who is also Chair of GADA Canada’s Professional Advisory Board). And because of the patient connections that GADA has supported over the years through live and virtual education opportunities, I was able to quickly connect with a group of women who’d been through similar surgeries. They provided me with exactly the advice, humour, and wisdom that I needed before and after my surgery.

In the end, more than 50 people donated to my fundraiser, raising close to $4,500 for GADA. I was elated and humbled by the generosity. Initially, I’d aimed to raise just $1,000. That was quickly revised when I saw some of my donors were pledging well over the $20 minimum.

I received such amazing feedback about this fundraiser. People I’d never met before reached out and told me how much they appreciated hearing me talk publicly about my surgery and my challenges with aortic disease. And GADA told me how much the donations would be used to help support virtual education and awareness opportunities.

This fall GADA Canada welcomed me onto its Board of Directors. I now have a direct role with this national organization that is leading the way to educate, raise awareness, and influence research on aortic diseases. It’s a role I’ve accepted with great seriousness and a deep sense of responsibility. I want my leadership on GADA Canada to help raise the profile of the organization and awareness of aortic disease among patients, their families, and medical professionals across Canada.

Even though my fundraiser has ended, making a donation to GADA Canada is so easy, and so deeply appreciated by people like me. Just click below to make your secure donation through GADA’s CanadaHelps page.

As we close 2020 and move into a new year, remember that a gift to GADA is something that connects us even when we can’t be together.

Have a merry holiday season and best wishes in 2021.

liz

PS - I’d love to chat with you. Have an idea for your own fundraiser that you want to bring to life, or want to run your own fundraiser but don’t know where to start? I can help, and I’ve got loads of ideas. Send me a message and let’s chat!

Liz Martin was raised in rural east central Alberta and has lived in Edmonton, Ottawa, and Toronto. She now lives in Kingston, Ontario with a radio geek, and she is a consultant for health and social service organizations. Her recent recovery from aortic surgery reignited a fanaticism for jigsaw puzzles.

Thanks to a $20,000 Matching Gift Challenge by Casa Raia, Montalcino, any gift you make to GADA by December 31, 2020 will be DOUBLED!
We hope that you will support GADA Canada with a gift of $50, $100, $250, $500 or more today.