Half of Canadians Are in the Dark About Heart Disease Risks – And It’s Costing Lives. A shocking new report reveals that only 50% of Canadians are aware of the factors that could put their heart health in jeopardy. But here’s where it gets even more alarming: many are completely unaware until it’s almost too late.
Take Katrina Sison, for example. At just 38, the Pickering, Ontario resident was on her way to a volleyball game when she felt something was terribly wrong. ‘I had severe shortness of breath,’ she recalled. ‘Instead of going to the game, I headed straight to the emergency room.’ What followed was a whirlwind: an echocardiogram revealed an ascending aortic aneurysm nearly eight centimeters wide and rapidly growing. ‘It was a ticking time bomb,’ explained Dr. Subodh Verma, a cardiac surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital. ‘Without immediate surgery, she wouldn’t have survived.’
Dr. Verma, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Surgery, is no stranger to high-stakes situations. Yet, even he emphasizes the urgency: ‘Time wasn’t just muscle for her—it was life.’ And this is the part most people miss: heart disease often doesn’t announce itself with Hollywood-style chest-clutching drama. It can be silent, insidious, and deadly.
Consider Tom Scherbluk, 58, from Alliston, Ontario. Last summer, while organizing files at home, he suddenly collapsed in excruciating pain. ‘I was on the floor, in absolute agony,’ he said. Rushed to St. Michael’s, Dr. Verma operated through the night to save him. The diagnosis? Aortic dissection, a life-threatening tear in the aorta’s inner layers, exacerbated by undiagnosed high blood pressure. ‘Every hour counts,’ Dr. Verma warns. ‘It can lead to strokes, heart attacks, or even death within 48 hours.’
But here’s the controversial part: Despite 8.2 million Canadians diagnosed with high blood pressure, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, many remain oblivious to their risk. The revised threshold for hypertension (130/80 mm Hg) means more people are at risk than ever before. Yet, hypertension rarely shows symptoms, leaving many walking around unaware of their ticking time bomb.
Mahee Dharen Dharmalingam, 55, discovered his risk during a routine checkup. ‘My doctor said, ‘You’re borderline—let’s refer you to a cardiologist,’ he recalled. Months later, an aneurysm required urgent surgery. ‘It was a wake-up call I never saw coming,’ he admitted.
Here’s the hard truth: Heart disease isn’t always dramatic. It can manifest subtly, with symptoms that are easy to ignore. ‘Oftentimes, the first sign is death,’ Dr. Verma laments. This Valentine’s Day, his message is clear: ‘Know your risk. Get checked. Be vigilant.’
But what do you think? Is enough being done to educate Canadians about heart disease risks? Should routine screenings be more accessible? Share your thoughts in the comments—this conversation could save a life. After all, the heart isn’t just a symbol of love; it’s the very essence of life itself.
