Policeman Jason Spencer’s life was on the line.
Jason Spencer is a police officer who deals with highway collisions every day. In Summer 2004, the fit, 6’-2”, 30-year-old never dreamed he would be hit with the frightening diagnosis of heart disease.
Jason had felt a pain in his chest that wouldn’t go away. When X-rays showed nothing, his family doctor recommended a heart specialist, who found that Jason had Marfan syndrome. This rare, progressive disease usually affects males of tall stature and causes a life threatening swelling of the aorta – the main artery leaving the heart. Jason was shocked. “It’s pretty disturbing to go from 100% healthy to having an inherited disease.”
He was referred to cardiologist Dr. Michael Borger at Toronto General Hospital where medical imaging and tests confirmed the diagnosis. Jason’s aorta had already swollen to a dangerous thickness, beyond the point where drugs could control it. It needed repair – and soon.
In January 2005 Jason underwent life-saving heart surgery, returning home after 5 days. There, Jason slowly regained his strength and in May was back on the beat. “Dr. Borger and the whole hospital staff were just incredible,” says Jason.
The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre is the premier cardiac centre in Canada. Each year, approximately 17,000 patients like Jason receive innovative and compassionate care from the PMCC world-renowned multidisciplinary heart team. PMCC is based at Toronto General Hospital and is a leading referral centre for cardiac patients worldwide.
Heart valve repair at PMCC is nothing short of outstanding. A recent report to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery on repair of mitral valve prolapse showed over 90% of PMCC patients free from valve failure 15 years postoperatively. Similarly, long-term results of aortic valve repair in patients with aneurysms of the aortic root have been excellent.
