79-year-old waiting for open-heart surgery in B.C. says health is deteriorating
A Vancouver senior says she was told by her doctor in November that she required open-heart surgery. Seven months later, she’s yet to receive a surgery date and says her condition is getting worse.
Heather Clarke, a retired health-care worker says her heart's mitral and tricuspid valves need to be replaced. And while she's been waiting for the procedure, she's noticed everyday tasks are getting more difficult.
“Walking up stairs in the house, I walk up, but at the top now I have to sort of pause, take some breaths,”
Around a year ago Clarke says she was very active, often completing high elevation, multi-kilometre hikes. Now, she says even a small stroll feels like a marathon.
“I’m going to get more and more limited in what I can do,” said the 79-year-old.
Clarke is one of many British Columbians anxiously waiting to go under the knife. The pandemic, staffing and funding issues have all contributed to a backlog of surgeries in the province, with some people waiting years for a trip to the operating bed.
“It’s really distressing, not having any idea when I might have a date,” said Clarke.
FRIENDS BECOME ADVOCATES
“Not being able to get essential surgery? Something is very desperately wrong,” said Alex Volkoff, a friend of Clarke who’s advocating on her behalf.
Volkoff says she’s fed up seeing her friend become weaker before her eyes, so she’s decided to raise awareness on the issue by staging demonstrations in front of St. Paul hospital in downtown Vancouver.
“When you watch a friend decline so dramatically over a period of time, and when they discover what the problem is and it can’t be fixed -- you get distressed,” said Volkoff.
She’s helped organize two rallies so far and says several strangers have shared their own stories about how waiting for surgery has impacted their own lives.
CTV News reached out to the health ministry for comment on this issue, but did not receive a response before deadline.
Meanwhile, Volkoff plans to continue fighting for her friend.
“We can’t let the situation deteriorate further than it already has.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.