On Wednesday, February 4, Tim’s life changed in an instant.

What started as a normal day turned into a nightmare that no one could have predicted. Tim went to the hospital with severe chest pain. While there, he suffered a STEMI heart attack. Thanks to the quick actions of the incredible team at the Aberdeen Hospital, and LifeFlight, he was rushed to the cath lab in Halifax.

What doctors found was not a typical heart attack.

Tim’s heart was full of blood clots. They removed many of them, but were not able to remove all. He was started on strong IV blood thinners; however, his chest pain continued.

Two days later, on Friday, Tim went into cardiac arrest. He was rushed back to the cath lab, where he arrested two more times and suffered another heart attack. Once again, doctors found more clots. The medical team pulled out all the stops and were able to remove many clots and restore blood flow to his heart.

Doctors have said it is truly a medical miracle that Tim is still with us.

After more testing, we finally have some answers. A CT scan showed that Tim was born with a rare heart defect. His right coronary artery is branching from the wrong place and is squeezed between two major vessels, which is restricting blood flow. Unfortunately, the scan also showed that despite all the blood thinners he has been receiving, there is still a clot in that artery.

Tim will require open heart surgery to fix this heart defect; however, the surgery cannot happen until the clot is reduced, as operating now would be too dangerous. Over the next 7–10 days, he’ll remain in hospital on IV blood thinners before undergoing another catherization procedure to see if it’s safe to move forward with the surgery.

He has already been in hospital for over a week, and there is still a long road ahead — weeks more in hospital, major surgery, and a significant recovery period.

Through it all, Tim remains focused on the wins: being chest pain free, seeing his kids, and knowing he is surrounded by incredible care and overwhelming support from family and friends.

Anyone who knows Tim knows he’s always the first to step up — running summer baseball, coaching hockey, organizing our community’s New Year’s Eve fireworks, or simply helping a friend. He gives his time and energy to his friends, family and community without hesitation.

He shows up every single time. Now it’s our turn.

Funds raised will help cover:

• Travel for Alice and the kids back and forth to Halifax

• Everyday expenses during his hospital stay and recovery

• Preparing their home for when Tim returns after surgery

Thank you for keeping Tim, Alice, Brooklyn, Grayson and the rest of his family in your thoughts and prayers. Your support means more than words can express as we stand beside him during this difficult time.

One day at a time.