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Brad's Story

Meet Brad, Co-Owner of Fuge Sausage. Brad was born with a congenital heart defect, Transposition of the Great Vessels, and had his first surgery at 11 days old at the University of Alberta Hospital. At five years old, he had the Mustard procedure at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. Not only did he live, he thrived and didn’t have any serious issues until his mid-thirties.

Brad was 34 years old when he experienced his first major cardiac issue. He went into the hospital where they worked some cardiac magic, and he was prescribed a new cocktail of drugs. Brad was well for a long time after and continued to work just as hard and passionately as ever. But the past 10 years have seen him in the hospital a little more often. Through his amazing tenacity, and great work at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Brad has bounced back each time.

Cut to 2019, Brad was living with a heart that was overhauled 47 years ago. It was tired and in late stage failure. He needed a transplant but was told that he was unable to get one. If he was to receive a healthy heart by transplant, his body wouldn’t know what to do with it. Over the years his organs have adjusted to his less than perfect heart, and have adapted. A new heart would be like putting a Ferrari engine into a 1966 Skoda.

This is where his story gets really cool. Through the genius of the amazing doctors and medical team at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, on January 18, 2019 Brad was fit with a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD).

Since his surgery in 2019, Brad has been back to the hospital countless times where the amazing medical team continues to ensure he has a bright future. Brad has more energy now than he has ever had. I guess you don’t know how sick you are until you feel better.

It is because of the skilled team at the Mazankowski that Brad is alive. The VAD program at the Mazankowski is the largest VAD program in the country. VADs are not only for people with congenital heart defects but primarily for people who have had a significant cardiac event and can’t be helped by the many other programs at the MAZ, including pacemakers, valve replacements etc. We all know someone who will have or has had a cardiac event. Some of these people didn’t or won’t make it. With a VAD, many more will.

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