On May 23, 2024, 21-year-old Emma arrived at Georgian Bay General Hospital experiencing shortness of breath and a heart rate in the 140s. She was directed to the emergency room, where she was initially treated for pneumonia. “I spent the night in emerge before I was able to be sent to a room,” she recalls.
 
After being administered IV antibiotics, Emma experienced an allergic reaction, which resulted in a code blue alert. The next day, she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and just hours later, she learned that she was diagnosed with heart failure and would be transported by air to Toronto General Hospital.

 

 
“I was terrified,” she says. “I was a healthy 21 year old, with no health history. As well as no family heart history. My life had been turned upside down.”
 
On the evening of May 25^th, the Ornge team arrived to transport Emma by helicopter to Toronto. “I had two wonderful Ornge paramedics with two pilots who transported me by helicopter to Toronto General,” she says. “They were amazing and took their time to go over things with me and make me feel as comfortable as I could be. I was lucky enough to be able to take my mom with me for the ride.”

 
 
What would normally take an hour and a half to two hours by car took just 27 minutes by air. “They went over where I would be taken once we got there and that there was a team waiting for me,” she adds.

   
Upon landing at Billy Bishop Airport, an ambulance met them and transported her across the ferry to the Toronto General Hospital Cardiac ICU. A full team was waiting upon her arrival. “They made sure I was comfortable and in good hands.”
 
The next evening, the same two Ornge paramedics, returned to Toronto General on another mission—and took a moment to check in on her. “They didn’t have to do that and they went out of their way to say hi. It may not have meant much to them but what they did was very appreciated by me and my family.”

   
Now, nearly a year later, Emma is managing a diagnosis of inherited cardiomyopathy with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. She received an S-ICD (defibrillator) in July 2024 and is happy to share that she’s doing better!
 
“I am very thankful to have it and thankful it hasn’t had to go off yet,” she says. “My experience with the Ornge team was amazing. I appreciate you and thank you for being an important part of my story.”  

We appreciate the fantastic teamwork of paramedics David and James, pilots Markus and Miguel, and the Operations Control Centre team for their excellent coordination in facilitating Emma's safe transport.


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• Patients and Families