Families of kids waiting for heart transplants in B.C. face 'difficult decision' after program put on hold
Families of children waiting for heart transplants at BC Children’s Hospital are now facing some unexpected stress and uncertainty: they’ve been told the transplant program is on hold, and they’re now having to consider getting on another province’s wait list, or even leaving B.C.
Two-year-old Zoe Lin of Burnaby is one of the children on the wait list, following a diagnosis at just seven weeks old.
Her mother Isadora told CTV they rushed her to the emergency department at BC Children’s, after she stopped eating and became listless.
“In our drive from home to the hospital, she had kind of lost all her colour,” Isadora said. “She was really grey and she wasn’t really moving at all.”
After a few days of testing, Zoe’s family heard from the cardiology team.
“We recieved the news that her heart function was very poor as a result of a heart disease, called left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy,” Isadora said, and added they were told the worst case scenario is that she would need a heart transplant. There was also the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
“It was a lot to bear,” her mom said.
The family was referred to the hosptial’s heart centre, and for the first six months, they took Zoe in once or twice a week. Zoe was also prescribed medication.
“They’ve been great every step of the way,” Isadora said.
When she was just over a year old, Zoe’s father William said more scans were done, which showed “really no change.”
“To be proactive and to make sure that she didn’t go into a worse state, the doctors ... recommended to us that we list her (for a heart transplant),” he said. “So that was a very hard decision to make, seeing that she was so young, she didn’t really show too many signs physically, but internally, the doctors weren’t happy with how her heart was progressing. We agonized over that decision for weeks.”
Isadora said another factor in their decision to put Zoe on the wait list was their confidence in her surgeon.
“He played a big part in our decision,” she said. “We felt comfortable, we felt assured.”
Zoe has now been on the wait list for just over a year, but recently, her parents got some unexpected news.
“They called us and told us the transplant program was being suspended,” Isadora said, and added they were also informed of two options. “Re-list in Edmonton, in which we could stay in Vancouver, or list in Toronto, in which we would need to move to Toronto to wait.”
Court documents reveal a lengthy workplace dispute involving two of the doctors in the program, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Andrew Campbell, and the head of the pediatric cardiovascular and thoracic surgery division Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi, who is Zoe’s surgeon.
In a BC Supreme Court ruling from April, Justice Nigel Kent wrote the problem is “one of the hospital’s own making”, adding they were “well aware” of the two doctors’ individual concerns, “yet chose to do nothing about them.”
In an email, the hospital told CTV that Dr. Gandhi is going on a “prescheduled leave,” but could not confirm further details due to privacy.
“BC Children’s Hospital senior physician and operational leaders have arranged for locum coverage to cover cardiac surgical services with the exception of the transplant program,” the hospital said.
BC Children’s said it is facing “an immediate shortage of cardiac surgeons,” and is working to support patients, including the five transplant families who are affected.
“This includes exploring options for out of province care, as required,” the hospital said in a statement. “We understand these changes - even if temporary - will have a very real impact on the lives of these families. We deeply regret causing them additional stress.”
Zoe’s parents, who also have two other young children, are leaning towards the Edmonton wait list option. They hope to stay in Metro Vancouver, where they want to raise their children, and where they have a support network to help them with child care if needed.
They also want to raise awareness about the importance of BC’s pediatric heart transplant program, which had only been established in 2013.
“We should have the same type of medical care that other large cities should have. And we did have that. The unfortunate part is, it’s taken away right now,” William said.
“Hopefully, there’s some sort of a resolution, so that other families aren’t left in limbo, making a very difficult decision.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.