“So, You're Going to Burst Soon...”
Published Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Adam Cianfagna, pictured with his wife Jen, served as the keynote speaker at the Resolute Hearts Around the World Charity Auction.
One Man's Heart Surgery – and Why We Need to Bring These Services to Thunder Bay
by Graham Strong
Adam Cianfagna learned that nothing makes you face your own mortality quite like preparing your will and saying goodbye to your daughters before leaving town for major surgery.
“At the time, our daughters were 6, 7, and 9,” Adam said. “Not old enough to understand exactly what was happening to Daddy, but old enough to worry that it could be really, really bad.”
To make things worse, Adam and his wife had to fly away to Toronto over Easter weekend.
“We kept reassuring them that the Easter Bunny would still come, and that they could tell us all about it once we got back.”
What Adam thought but of course didn't tell his girls was, “If I come back...”
Adam recently told his story at the first Resolute Hearts Around the World Charity Auction at Fort William Historical Park on November 2, 2024. Thirteen years ago, Adam was diagnosed with a heart murmur. Tests revealed a slight bulge in the aorta, the major artery leading to the heart. The bulge was caused by the fact that Adam has a bicuspid valve, which means his aortic valve leading to the heart has two flaps to regulate blood flow instead of the usual three.
Although a bulging aorta can burst leading to a high risk of death, slight bulges are no problem. In fact, it was only caught when a doctor listened to his heart for an unrelated sickness. Doctors told him that everything was fine, and yearly ultrasounds could monitor the bulge. It became so regular that Adam, an underwater welder, joked he could read the scans himself.
Then, during one exam, the ultrasound technician asked Adam if he'd been doing anything strenuous lately.
“He asked it so casually, but I knew right then that this wouldn't be another routine exam,” Adam said.
The doctor confirmed the worst: the bulge was to the point that he needed immediate surgery.
“He said to me, ‘So, you're going to burst soon. We should fix you up.'”
Everything happened quickly after that. A Telemedicine videoconference with doctors at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at University Health Network in Toronto. Surgery booked in three weeks. The suggestion that they should “get their affairs in order”.
“Everyone was supportive and helpful and hopeful,” Adam said. “They didn't want to scare me. But the reality was, I might not survive this surgery.”
That was something Adam knew firsthand. A friend of his had gone to Toronto for a similar surgery. He died during the operation and never did come home. That moment still haunts Adam.
The stress of Adam's surgery was made worse by the fact that he had to travel during COVID – and during a major family holiday.
“We felt so bad. We felt like we were ruining Easter for our girls,” Adam said. “My wife Jen put it all in perspective though. She said that it's better to miss one Easter than the rest of them.”
Travelling for Care – and Saying Goodbye
“The day we left Thunder Bay, saying goodbye was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Not going to be tough up here…. it was a cry fest. I just wanted to stay positive for my girls,” Adam said.
Adam and Jen spent two days in Toronto ahead of the surgery, trying to be normal. But of course, there is nothing normal about major heart surgery in a foreign city. Finally, the morning came when Adam had to tell Jen, “See you soon...”
Adam woke up after the surgery to the best news possible. His surgeon told him that the operation had gone better than planned with no valve replacement needed. The bulge was fixed.
“He seemed excited for me that my heart and valve were both strong,” Adam said. “I was still kind of out of it from the anaesthesia, but even so, I remember feeling relief that it was over.”
Over, except for recovery. It was a difficult part of the journey he didn't expect. Adam spent five days in hospital recovering before being well enough to travel home. During that time, he shared the room with a Toronto heart patient, whose family visited him all the time, brought him food to cheer him up, and brought him home for Easter dinner. Adam's supper that night consisted of turkey-like bologna slices. It all underlined how wrong it was that friends and family couldn't visit him, so far away from home.
More Pain Before the Happily Ever After...
Thankfully, the recovery time was shorter than expected. But the plane ride back to Thunder Bay put Adam through a lot of pain.
“I can't explain how terrible that flight was,” Adam said. “Something I didn't foresee was how those twin turbo propellers would feel when your chest is being held together with wires. I kept thinking that it was all going to rip open.”
However, something great waited for him after the excruciating two-hour flight. Adam and Jen made it home before their daughters' school bus dropped them off in the afternoon.
“We heard them come in and put their school bags down, loudly telling Gramma about their day all at once. Then, they rounded the living room corner and saw us. They froze like they had seen a ghost.”
Screams and running and hugging followed.
“It was a second cry fest. But it was a good cry fest this time. It was very, very good to be home.”
Adam's surgery couldn't be avoided. But travelling for care can be. We all want to end the mental and sometimes physical pain of travelling to southern Ontario for care. That's why so many people in this region are donating to the Northern Cardiac Fund to ensure we can bring the cardiovascular surgery we need, right here in Thunder Bay. The Resolute Hearts Around the World Charity Auction fundraiser for the Northern Cardiac Fund will help more patients like Adam and their families get the care they need, closer to home. You can still make your donation right now by visiting:
healthsciencesfoundation.ca/cardiac