At 54, George Kish was in good health. A sports fanatic, he spent three to four days every week in a local Oakville hockey rink, playing in a men’s league and refereeing in between balancing a financial sales role, a career spanning over 25 years and counting. When the pandemic shut down all activities and his office shifted to virtual work, he didn’t let that interfere with his active lifestyle. George went for daily 30 minute walks and occasionally lifted weights and despite the stressors and challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, he felt healthy and strong. There were no warning signs.
“I had just finished a 30-minute walk on the treadmill before my ‘health event’ as I like to call it,” says George, recalling the moment on Monday, September 14, 2020 he began experiencing chest discomfort. After 10-15 minutes he knew something was wrong and asked his wife, Sharon, to take him to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital.
Within the hour he was transferred to Trillium Health Partners’ (THP) Mississauga Hospital. By 10:30 p.m., he was undergoing quadruple bypass surgery. Thankfully, THP is one of the most respected, innovative, high-volume cardiac programs in the province and the only regional centre between Toronto and Hamilton, making THP the referral centre for all advanced cardiac cases in the Oakville, Georgetown and Milton regions.
“It had been a few years since I’d had a full physical but previous to that everything health-wise had been in order,” says George. His wife and two adult children were equally shocked.
While nerve-wracking, George says the overall experience was positive. Cardiac surgeon Dr. Shafqat Ahmed was extremely communicative before and after the procedure, keeping Sharon updated on George’s progress every step of the way. George remained in the hospital from Monday evening to Sunday the following week and during that time interacted with a variety of clinical and support staff. From rehabilitation assistants and registered dietitians to nursing and cleaning staff, “everyone was very respectful, friendly and polite. There was never a moment I didn’t feel cared for or looked after.” This was especially important for George since restrictions prohibited all visitors.
Today, George is back on the ice playing hockey and refereeing local teams and also spending a lot of free time walking and gardening. Earlier this spring, George and his son even built a large steel gazebo for their backyard.
George believes the last two years have made clear how crucial the health care system is to the wellbeing of our communities and through his personal health scare he has seen firsthand the commitment and sacrifices health care workers routinely make. He was inspired to give back to THP and he hopes that others will be motivated by his story to support health care too.
“It is because of the care I received that I’m here today and managed to just hit ‘pause’ in my life and simply restart it again.”
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