Support Dan and Juliana after Dan’s open heart surgery

Our dear dad, Dan, is on a long journey to recovery after open heart surgery on February 27th.

He and Juliana, his loving wife, went down to Victoria for a birthday party on February 16th and ended up staying for a heart attack.

Dan had some mild chest pain in the days before the party but didn’t think much of it. When he developed numbness and tingling in both hands, he decided to go to Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH) Emergency and get checked out. His symptoms were taken seriously right away, from the triage nurse to the bedside ER nurses and physicians. After getting an ECG, blood work, and a CT scan, he was found to have experienced a heart attack, or an NSTEMI, in medical terms.

Dan was admitted to the Cardiology Internal Medicine team for monitoring while awaiting an angiogram to determine the extent of blockage in his coronary arteries. He was found to have significant occlusions in several of the main vessels and had to decide between multiple stents or a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Considering Dan was fortunate enough to be in one of the best Cardiac hospitals in BC and has many more active years ahead with his beautiful wife and family (and doggies), he opted for the surgery.

Dan’s surgery on February 27th went well, and was “uneventful” per the surgeon, which is fantastic news when it comes to open heart surgery! His surgery was four hours long and he had a triple bypass. His recovery initially seemed to be going well, but unfortunately, on day two post-op, he developed atrial fibrillation, a fast and irregular heart rhythm. This can often be resolved with medications, but in Dan’s case, he required electro cardioversion, which meant another night back in intensive care. Since the cardioversion, he has been gradually feeling better and was finally able to focus on other aspects of his recovery like getting up and walking independently.

Dan was discharged on March 4th, after 16 days in the hospital, and will be heading home to Comox in the next few days.

Recovery from open heart surgery is a long process. Dan’s activity and independence will be quite restricted due to being on sternal precautions. These are necessary as the sternum is cut down the middle and then wired back together during surgery. Sternal precautions last for 6-8 weeks after the surgery, to allow the sternum enough time to heal. Dan is not allowed to push/pull/lift more than 5lbs, reach behind his back with one arm, or raise his arms for an extended time. He is not allowed to drive or work for the entirety of this recovery period.

Dan and Juliana are self-employed and do not have access to income assistance or extended benefits. Dan works as a Wood Stove Inspector and Juliana works as a Registered Massage Therapist, both in the Comox Valley. Dan will be unable to work for two full months, while Juliana will likely miss a month of work, or more, due to time needed at home to help care for Dan. They have already missed two weeks of work during Dan’s hospitalization.

This is where the Leahys could use your help! They are fortunate to have a loving community of friends and family for physical and emotional support, but any financial support would be so appreciated! All donations will be going towards lost income, new medical expenses, bills (mortgage, utilities, etc.), and food. This would help ease some of their financial burden and stress, and ensure Dan is well supported and able to get back to his daily activities in peak health after a full recovery.

Thank you so much for reading.

Lots of love, from Dan’s new and improved (and healing) heart to yours!