Former Hospital Chair Reflects on CVS Program – and His Own Heart Attack
Published Monday, February 10, 2025
Steve Wright, first Chair of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Board in 2004, has been a champion for local cardiac care. After surviving a heart attack, he's more grateful than ever to see cardiac surgery becoming a reality in Northwestern Ontario.
Stephen (Steve) Wright has seen a lot of changes to healthcare in Northwestern Ontario over the years. He was the first Chair of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Board of Directors when the Hospital opened in 2004, and was one of the driving forces behind building it. Wright said from the start that the plan was to set aside space for a full Cardiovascular Surgery (CVS) Program in Thunder Bay.
With the announcement in January that the new Cardiac Care Unit would start construction soon, the last piece fell into place for him.
“When we built the Health Sciences Centre, it was always about bringing as many care programs as possible up here to Thunder Bay so patients didn't have to travel so much,” Wright said. “Cardiac surgery is the last major program that we don't yet have. I am so grateful to everyone who continued the work to ensure we got it!”
However, he never imagined that cardiovascular care might be something he needed himself.
“I stay fit and lead a healthy lifestyle,” Wright said. “In fact, I was working out at the gym on March 19, 2023 when I experienced fatigue and difficulty breathing. I almost dismissed those classic signs of heart attack. I'm glad I didn't.”
Wright chalked up his symptoms to natural aging, but he went to Emerge anyway. He barely got through the front door.
“I was waiting in line when the world started going black. I called out, ‘Heart attack!' and collapsed to the floor,” he said.
Wright was immediately put on a gurney and whisked off to one of the two Cath Labs at the Hospital for emergency angioplasty. Dr. Alexandra Bastiany removed a blood clot and inserted three stents, and a couple of hours later Wright was resting comfortably in ICU.
“Dr. Mark Henderson told me how lucky I was, going straight to the Emergency Department. If you're going to have a heart attack, that's the best place to be.”
Wright said he couldn't get over how caring and attentive everyone was, including Dr. Henderson. “He was so good to me, so supportive. Today, I get excellent follow-up care from Allyson Adduono and the team at the Centre for Complex Diabetes Care.”
He was also glad he could have his angioplasty here in Thunder Bay. Back when the Health Sciences Centre first opened, he would have been flown to southern Ontario, waiting hours for transport and hours more for surgery. It reinforced for him how important it is to have a full CVS Program here too, so that everyone in Northwestern Ontario except the most delicate cases can get cardiac surgery done here.
“When my wife Marlene was sick with cancer, the care and support she got right here was amazing,” Wright said. “I know how difficult it would have been for her if we would have had to travel for care. I can't imagine what it would have been like when I had my heart attack, waiting hours for an air ambulance to fly me down east.”
Wright thanked everyone who has contributed to the Our Hearts at Home Campaign for Cardiovascular Surgery and the Northern Cardiac Fund so far. “Cardiac surgery has been a dream of mine for a long time. I think that's true of many people here. We should be proud of what we're accomplishing: a full CVS Program in the North for patients in the North. Not only is it a remarkable achievement, it will change the lives of thousands of patients and their families.”
You can still help make the dream of cardiac surgery a reality! Donate to the Northern Cardiac Fund today so patients can get the surgery they need, right here at home. healthsciencesfoundation.ca/cardiac
Article by Graham Strong