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> WALKING THE TALK
Doctor hopes near-death disaster made her even better
Surviving a health crisis has
helped Heather Ross bring
more compassion to her care
KATRINA CLARKE
STAFF REPORTER
Just 200 metres from the summit of
Antarctica’s highest mountain,
something went wrong.
Two members of the Canadian
climbing team felt their legs grow
strangely heavy. Their movements
slowed dramatically. They tried eat-
ing energy bars, hoping they were
just low on calories, but nothing
helped.
By the time they turned back to
camp, things got worse.
One woman began vomiting, had
trouble breathing and her oxygen
levels dropped to dangerously low
levels. She had high-altitude pulmo-
nary edema, a life-threatening con-
dition involving fluid filling the lungs. eye level with her patients. She rests depending on their age (patients in-
It feels similar to heart failure —
ironically.
The victim was Dr. Heather Ross, a
world-renowned cardiologist and
medical director of the heart trans-
plant program at Toronto’s Peter
Munk Cardiac Centre. The 2006
Vinson Massif climb was part of a
fundraising campaign for heart fail-
ure research, called Test Your Limits,
which she spearheaded.
The 52-year-old survived, making it
off the mountain after a15 hour-plus
ordeal involving a plane and skiing
down the mountain, but the experi-
ence changed her.
“I can’t quite talk about it without
getting fairly emotional,” Ross told a
Star reporter in November, sitting in
a Toronto General Hospital (TGH)
Starbucks with tears in her eyes.
“Feeling as short of breath as I did
and knowing that my patients feel
that every day . . . It gave me an idea
of what it is like to wait and not
know,” she said.
Eight years on, Ross can be found
high-fiving patients in the TGH
heart function clinic, cracking jokes
and sternly scolding a patient who’s
neglected to take her medication.
“She’s a no-nonsense doctor . . . but
she’s really easy to talk to,” says pa-
tient Maureen Wellington, 55. “You
Investing in the health of our communities
Former heart transplant patient Dale Shippam, centre, with Dr. Heather
Ross, right, at the North Pole. The climb was part of a fundraising drive.
“She’s a no-nonsense doctor . . .
You can see her as a person,
not just as someone who’s
taking care of your disease.”
MAUREEN WELLINGTON
PATIENT OF DR. HEATHER ROSS
can see her as a person, not just as
someone who’s taking care of your
disease.”
Ross is busy — she’ll see 23 patients
before noon — but she doesn’t let her
patients know it.
Wearing a well-tailored light grey
suit and gold jewelry, Ross walks into Ross adjusted her tone, stance and
each appointment and sits down at
her elbows on her knees and leans in.
“What you have is what I do,” she
tells a 22-year-old with an unknown
heart problem.
The woman plays nervously with
her hair and her voice shakes when
she asks questions. Her eyes stay
glued on Ross.
By the end of the appointment, her
teary-eyed mom is laughing and her
dad says, “That is one great doctor.”
Ross hopes her compassion and
ability to connect with patients im-
proved after the Vinson Massif scare.
“I like to think I go that extra step or in,” she said.
take the extra time,” she said. “And
give the information in a straight and
honest way . . . (and help patients)
recognize that we’re going through
this as a team, together.”
She treats patients how she would
want to be treated, she says.
Throughout the morning shift,
humour for each of her 23 patients,
clude teenagers and 80-somethings),
severity of diagnosis and relation-
ship.
“Do you feel adequately chastised?”
she teased one patient.
“I’m a bit worried, I have to be hon-
est with you,” she said, deadpan, to
another.
The changing bedside manner is
strategic. “You use the humour and
then you talk about the seriousness,”
she said between appointments.
“Whether it’s the 2-year-old or the
82-year-old, find some common
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2015 TORONTO STAR⎮M3
PETER MUNK CARDIAC CENTRE
BERNARD WEIL/TORONTO STAR
World-renowned cardiologist Dr. Heather Ross reviews patient records. She
alters her tone and humour for each patient she sees.
ground to connect.” cine,” she says, turning to the patient
But Ross’s refusal to “disconnect” and adding, “I don’t know why you
have this.”
from patients can take a toll.
“That’s where the exercise comes It’s these mystery cases that keep
Ross excited — waking her up at 2
a.m., she says.
Ross cycles, swims, hikes and goes
“It’s so unsatisfying when we can’t
on jaw-dropping, globetrotting ad- answer the ‘why,’ ” she says.
ventures. In 2006, she launched the
Test Your Limits campaign — the Ross’s near-death experience has
reason for the Antarctica trip. shaped her professional interests,
which focus on keeping patients
Along with a team of doctors and alive and comfortable. Her main re-
transplant patients, Ross has search is on prognosis — predicting
climbed in Nepal, trekked in Bhutan heart problems for patients — and
and skied in the North and South improving quality of life.
Pole, raising nearly $2 million for
heart failure research. She thinks back on the difficult day
in Antarctica often, but there’s one
To relax, Ross visits her cottage in particular moment — involving her
Lake of Bays, indulges in Toronto’s climbing teammate and former
“foodie” scene and sings in a band. heart transplant patient, Dale Ship-
pam — that she’ll never forget.
But most of the time, she’s waking
up around 5 a.m., working non-stop “I remember very clearly looking at
and grabbing power bars for lunch Dale and seeing that look in his eyes
because morning and afternoon of, ‘You know, you saved my life and
clinics overlap. She typically works12 I’m here to help save your life,’ ” she
hours straight. Back in the clinic, says, choking back tears as she re-
Ross doesn’t mince words when members him helping her climb
dealing with a complicated case. down the mountain.
“She has the unfortunate honour of “It was just a really incredible mo-
being interesting, which of course is ment.”
never what you want to be (in) medi-
Supporting the health and wellbeing of
those who live and work in our host
communities is part of Barrick Gold
Corporation’s commitment to responsible
mining. From improving child nutrition in
Peru to preventing HIV/AIDS in Papua
New Guinea to combating malaria in
Zambia, we work with our host
communities and governments to address
their most pressing health care needs.
From 2009 through 2013, Barrick
contributed $23.5 million towards
community health care initiatives.
This commitment to making a positive
difference in the communities where we
operate dates back to our earliest days. It
is part of our DNA and reflects the vision
and values of our Founder, Peter Munk.
To learn more, visit
www.barrickbeyondborders.com