St. Mary's General Hospital helps retired gym teacher recover following open heart surgery

A retired gym teacher from Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener is back on her feet after having open heart surgery earlier this year.

Sandy Fallis, 62, is in tip-top shape and lives an active lifestyle.

"[So I was surprised] when I had shortness of breath that it was related to a malfunctioning heart valve," explained Fallis.

At first, she stuck to her usual plan.

"I just thought -- work hard," she said. "Go to more workouts and it'll get better."

When the shortness of breath didn't improve, she went to get her symptoms checked out. From there, things moved rather quickly.

"'You have this problem and you need it fixed by surgery,'" Fallis said, recalling the conversation with her doctor. "And then boom, boom, boom, it was under a month."

She had the open heart surgery to repair a leaky valve. The three-hour-long procedure was performed by St. Mary's General Hospital cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Gary Salasidis.

MAKING HISTORY AT ST. MARY'S

Dr. Salasidis assisted cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Kassem Ashe on the first open heart surgery at St. Mary's on July 7, 2003. More than 20 years later the pair are still doing the critical work.

"We did our first open heart surgery here. At the same time, within days, the first heart catheterization and angioplasty was done," said Dr. Ashe.

Since then, the St. Mary's Regional Cardiac Care Centre has been at the heart of helping people, like Fallis, in this part of southern Ontario.

"Now, almost all cardiac services are provided here for our region. That's from Cambridge to Guelph to Brantford to Woodstock, all the way up to Tobermory. That's 10 per cent of the Ontario population," said Dr. Ashe.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

The care doesn't stop after the surgery.

A few months after her procedure, Fallis has an extra pep in her step thanks to the St. Mary's Cardiac Rehab Program, which has allowed her to get back to exercising almost without missing a beat.

Located at 435 The Boardwalk, she's been going a couple times each week since her surgery.

While it looks like the surgery will give Fallis her active lifestyle back, more importantly, it's given the former gym teacher her heart back.

"It would have decreased my life expectancy," she said, explaining the consequences of not having the surgery.

So each step she takes around the rehab track represents a heartfelt "thank you."

HIKE AND BIKE FOR HEART

On Sunday, the St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation is hosting its signature Hike and Bike for Heart event.

For 30 years, the annual fundraiser has brought together a full spectrum of people touched by heart disease in some way. Everyone hikes together to raise money in support of the St. Mary's Regional Cardiac Care Centre.

Funds raised through the hike have helped buy essential equipment, including the hospital’s first cardiac MRI this year.

This year's event at Laurel Creek Conservation Area also includes a cycling component for those who prefer to pedal.