Ontario mother overjoyed her toddler has heart surgery after 4 cancellations at SickKids
An Ontario mother is overjoyed her three-year-old son is recovering from a life-saving heart surgery, which had been cancelled four times and delayed for months due to hospital staffing issues.
“I’m overwhelmed. I’m excited. I’m really happy. I just received the best news that the surgery is done,” Marina Pergat told CTV News Toronto outside the Hospital for Sick Children Tuesday.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Roman Tsoy has a condition called Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which requires three surgeries. Pergat said the first two surgeries after his birth were done in a timely manner, but the third initially scheduled at the end of May — ended up being cancelled by SickKids four times.
“We cancelled birthday parties, we cancelled everything, trips, because every time we got a hope it’s maybe going to happen tomorrow.”
Each cancellation Pergat said it was because there wasn’t an ICU nurse to be with be Roman one-on-one in recovery, adding two of cancellations were made the same day as the scheduled surgery.
Last week, Pergat spoke out about the cancellations, telling CTV News Toronto that she was frustrated and upset.
One day later, she received a phone call at her Newmarket home from the surgeon telling her the surgery was rescheduled for Aug. 1.
On the Tuesday, Pergat said she was confident Roman’s surgery would go ahead knowing her story was in the public eye.
“I left my house at 4 a.m. so I really thought that nobody would call me this time, and for sure it would go through,” she said.
“I actually love our surgeon and I’m really grateful to him, that phone call meant the world to be. It meant we won this fight,” she said. “I saw him today for the first time since the last surgery and I was really happy to see him. He was smiling. I could tell he had the good news.”
Roman Tsoy gets ready for his third surgery at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. (Provided)
While this is good news for Roman, there are still many children waiting for surgeries. The hospital revealed last week it has a significant surgical backlog of more than 6,500 patients, with around 67 per cent waiting longer than the recommended time.
“Don’t give up, maybe we need to speak up more and hopefully all those kids on the list will get in … the surgeries are happening, it’s just the backlog that needs to be cleared up.”
She said unfortunately she doesn’t believe the children who surgeries, can wait.
“Something else needs to be done. Hopefully my story attracts attention. I think it already has attracted attention of the government and of SickKids management, and hopefully they will get in soon.”
Before the surgery, Roman was dealing with low oxygen levels and body pain, while the the family’s lives were on hold. Pergat couldn’t work and Roman couldn’t go to daycare.
Pergat says finally getting the surgery means he will feel better, his life will be prolonged and their lives can resume normally.
“I already signed him up for daycare, he’s starting in September,” she said. “He can’t wait to be around other kids. I’m going to get a job, we’re going to start to travel finally, my parents are going to visit, we’re going to live.”
“All I feel right now is peace and happiness.”
Marina Pergat is desperate for her three-year-old son to receive a heart surgery that she says has been cancelled already four times this year. (CTV News Toronto)
SICKKIDS AND THE SURGICAL BACKLOG
In a new statement Tuesday, numbers from SickKids actually show an increase in the surgical backlog, from 6,552 to 6,583 patients since last week.
“Over the course of the last three weeks, clinical teams have completed an average of 235 cases per week, with 30 per cent being urgent and unplanned emergency cases.”
While Pergat said the hospital told her the cancellations were due to a lack of an ICU nurse, SickKids explained in the last few weeks cardiovascular surgery cases were rescheduled to accommodate urgent cases.
“In some instances, surgical teams worked into the early hours of the morning resulting in the rescheduling of surgeries the next day. Urgent cases such as life-threatening neonatal conditions and transplants take priority when managing complex surgical programs. These events cannot always be anticipated and have an impact on pre-scheduled procedures.”
SickKids said the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery is a protected surgical service with a manageable waitlist of approximately 90 patients, with less than 20 per cent being outside the recommended window of time for their procedures.
SickKids said it’s continuing to work with government partners who have announced recent investments to address the surgical waitlist to help patients access the care they need in a timely fashion.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bird flu, measles top 2025 concerns for Canada's chief public health officer
As we enter 2025, Dr. Theresa Tam has her eye on H5N1 bird flu, an emerging virus that had its first human case in Canada this year.
Azerbaijan observes day of mourning for air crash victims as speculation mount about its cause
Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the disaster that remained unknown.
Prayers and tears mark 20 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people
People gathered in prayer and visited mass graves in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday to mark 20 years since the massive Indian Ocean tsunami hit the region in one of modern history’s worst natural disasters.
Thousands without power on Christmas as winds, rain continue in B.C. coastal areas
Thousands of people in British Columbia are without power on Christmas Day as ongoing rainfall and strong winds collapse power lines, disrupt travel and toss around holiday decorations.
Donald Trump says he urged Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister in Christmas visit
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump says he told Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky he should run for prime minister during a Christmas visit but adds that the athlete declined interest in politics.
Ho! Ho! HOLY that's cold! Montreal boogie boarder in Santa suit hits St. Lawrence waters
Montreal body surfer Carlos Hebert-Plante boogie boards all year round, and donned a Santa Claus suit to hit the water on Christmas Day in -14 degree Celsius weather.
Historical mysteries solved by science in 2024
This year, scientists were able to pull back the curtain on mysteries surrounding figures across history, both known and unknown, to reveal more about their unique stories.
King Charles III focuses Christmas message on healthcare workers in year marked by royal illnesses
King Charles III used his annual Christmas message Wednesday to hail the selflessness of those who have cared for him and the Princess of Wales this year, after both were diagnosed with cancer.
Mother-daughter duo pursuing university dreams at the same time
For one University of Windsor student, what is typically a chance to gain independence from her parents has become a chance to spend more time with her biggest cheerleader — her mom.