Cheating death at 34

In the summer of 2019, a few years after her two children were born, Kim decided to get back in shape and started a workout program to lose some weight. For two years, her endurance steadily improved and she shed the extra pounds—everything seemed perfect. But little by little, her performance deteriorated: “Each time I started a cardio workout, I felt a pressure on my sternum. It would appear in the first few minutes. 

But since it wasn’t painful, I kept going. After a few minutes, though, I would feel like I was about to faint. One day when I went tobogganing with the kids, I did a little sprint to get up the hill, and then I stopped dead in my tracks. For 5 minutes, I saw stars. I had to wait for it to pass so as not to collapse. That was when I realized something wasn’t right and that I had to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

According to Kim, doing regular physical activity not only allowed her to improve her health, it also helped her quickly spot the signs of a serious problem: “If I didn’t exercise frequently, if I didn’t know my heart, I would have ignored the signs—I would have
been less attuned to them. I wouldn’t have known that something wasn’t right, I would have just thought I felt bad because I was out of shape, and that would probably have been fatal. Being sensitive to the changes in my physical ability saved my life.”

Alarmed by the recent events, Kim went to a polyclinic where echocardiograms were performed. That’s when she heard her diagnosis. “The cardiologist told me I had a myxoma: a gelatinous tumour growing inside my heart. In my case, it was pretty big—like a golf ball. If the lump broke free, I could have a stroke and die, so I needed surgery quickly to remove it.” 

The news was a shock and a total surprise to this healthy young woman: “It felt unreal. You say to yourself, ‘Okay, but why me?’ You’re about to have heart surgery and you can’t know exactly all that will entail. It’s a lot to take in all at once. When they mentioned surgery, I knew it was serious. That’s a scary word. I broke down, I cried. I immediately thought of my kids—are they going to lose their mom? That was the idea that kept running through my head.”

As soon as she was diagnosed, Kim was sent to the Montreal Heart Institute, where specialists were expecting her. “Despite my fear, I felt reassured. My family kept telling me, ‘You’re exactly where you need to be. You couldn’t be in a better place.’ That allowed me to let go, to surrender to the process—because I had no control over what was about to happen, and I knew that I was in good hands.” 

She was told that, exceptionally, Dr. Michel Pellerin would be on call on a Saturday morning to perform the delicate operation. “I remember feeling very important because I had been told that there were no surgeries on the weekend. My situation was taken seriously, and people at the Institute were making sure I received the best care as quickly as possible from the best specialists.”
“A lady came to shave me from head to toe, then I was taken to the operating room. The next day, I was already walking. A few days later, I was back home. Recovery was so good and so quick that I was discharged. The nurse told me, ‘You’re not walking, you’re running!’ But yeah, I ran to get back to my kids.”

Throughout her time at the Montreal Heart Institute, Kim was treated with a truly human touch: “I never had the feeling that I was just a number or that I was bothering anyone if I needed something. Everyone was there for me and helped me wholeheartedly.”

During her time at the Institute, Kim met people who helped her stay strong and feel like she wasn’t alone facing these incredible challenges. “There was the gentleman I shared my room with before the operation—we told each other stories and the reasons that brought us to the Institute. He was so serene. For him it was a regular routine, and his composure really calmed me. I think it wasn’t his first time having an operation there, and he felt very confident being in their hands. Before he left, he just said: ‘If my wife calls, could you answer and tell her I’ve gone to have my surgery?’ 

I’ll always remember the night nurse too, who kept watch over me after the operation. She was so cheerful and smiley, she was a real gem. We laughed a lot together. The chemistry between the entire staff was great, which meant the atmosphere was calm and reassuring.”

When Kim found out a few days beforehand that it would be Dr. Michel Pellerin performing her surgery, she was informed that she’d be benefitting from his singular expertise, too. “The first time I saw him, I was told that because of his qualifications, he was able to operate on me by simply making an incision on the side of my torso. Not having to live with a giant scar running the length of my chest was an excellent piece of news, and it also showed a great deal of compassion and sensitivity.”

“My surgeon’s confidence was really contagious. He was so calm, so sure everything would be okay, that I was instantly at ease. After the operation, he came to see me, all smiles, and showed me a picture of the lump that he’d removed from my heart. He was sincerely happy. Then he invited me to get involved with the Foundation and share my experience. I accepted, because of him. It was my way of saying thank you for saving my life.”

There was a definite before and after—the unexpected challenges that Kim had to overcome in the past year changed her outlook on life forever. “It’s like getting a second chance. It might sound simple, but it really made me realize that life is fragile. Now I tell myself, ‘Take full advantage, get out of your comfort zone, stop limiting yourself, try everything, get your feet wet, live life to the hilt.’”

A few months after her surgery, when she was once again invited to take part in her company’s union, Kim didn’t hesitate and went for it. “Everyone could see me doing it, but before I wasn’t sure. I doubted myself. This time I said yes right away, in order to learn new things, have new experiences, and always surpass myself.”