{"id":1797,"date":"2025-10-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/?post_type=testimonial&p=1797"},"modified":"2026-10-22T11:44:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:44:51","slug":"heart-attack-peter-chum","status":"publish","type":"testimonial","link":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/why-give\/your-testimonials\/heart-attack-peter-chum\/","title":{"rendered":"At the CHUM, Peter found the care and expertise he trusts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWhen I had my heart attack, I\u2019m lucky the ambulance brought me to the CHUM. If I had gone to a different hospital, I might not be alive today.\u201d
\u2014 Peter Berson, treated at the CHUM<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A chest pain unlike anything he had ever felt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Peter was home alone on the afternoon of Monday, April 15, 2024, when he started feeling chest pain. At first, it seemed familiar\u2014he had experienced similar discomfort occasionally. In the past, two tablets of over-the-counter pain reliever would make the pain fade away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t like visiting the doctor before discovering the CHUM. In fact, I hadn\u2019t gone to see one for a very long time. So, for five or six years, I had this problem, but I didn\u2019t think it was a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This time, however, the pain reliever didn\u2019t work. As he stood up a couple of hours later in the afternoon, he suddenly realized something was very wrong. He called 911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOnce in the ambulance, the paramedics told me, \u2018You\u2019re having a heart attack. Don\u2019t worry, we are going to the CHUM<\/a>, and they\u2019ll look after you.\u2019 The rest is history.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A team effort to save his life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Peter describes the care he received in the Emergency Department of one of North America\u2019s largest university hospital centres, under the supervision of Dr. Marie-L\u00e9a Guay, as truly extraordinary. He expresses deep gratitude for the CHUM\u2019s state-of-the-art facilities, but even more for the dedication and expertise of the people who helped save is life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe staff was very kind and reassuring. They took the time to explain everything clearly. At midnight, when it was time for her to go home, Dr. Guay even came over and said: \u2018I\u2019m not leaving, I\u2019m staying here with you to finish what we\u2019ve started.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team around Peter kept growing as the night went on. More specialists were called in to help, and stents were inserted to stabilize him. By the next morning, two cardiologists came to his bedside and uncovered the hidden truth: Peter had suffered several silent heart attacks in the past, leaving his heart badly weakened. He would need surgery.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

A journey toward recovery, surrounded by his angels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Six weeks later, Peter underwent surgery and began his journey toward recovery. The path was not without challenges, but he could rely on the expertise of several doctors and other health professionals, whom he affectionately calls his angels\u2014together with the team who stood by him during the terrifying 24 hours that followed his heart attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to all those who cared for me\u2014the X-ray technicians, the laboratory staff, the dedicated nurses, and the attendants who kindly wheeled me from one department to another. It was a big city Medical Center at its best. World Class.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today, Peter\u2019s heart isn\u2019t perfect, but as he puts it, \u201cIt\u2019s the best it can be.\u201d From now on, he insists, all his care for his heart but also his overall health will remain at the CHUM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThey never give up. They keep fighting for me. I feel truly fortunate to have found my hospital here at the CHUM.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

To better prevent, diagnose and treat diseases for patients like Peter, we need to rethink our approaches. This goal is what motivates our teams at the CHUM, who are more determined than ever to act faster than disease.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Find out why this race against time is essential<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen I had my heart attack, I\u2019m lucky the ambulance brought me to the CHUM.[…];<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1773,"menu_order":0,"template":"","testimonial-category":[37],"class_list":["post-1797","testimonial","type-testimonial","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","testimonial-category-patients-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/testimonial\/1797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/testimonial"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/testimonial"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"testimonial-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/testimonial-category?post=1797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}