X
Dr. Henry Solow walks across the helipad of his trusted community hospital.

A heartbeat away from home

A cardiac event abroad led Dr. Henry Solow back to the hospital he helped shape.

The top of a six-storey waterslide at a resort in a foreign country is an especially terrifying place to experience cardiac arrest. That’s where Dr. Henry Solow, a 35-year veteran haematologist-oncologist at Oak Valley Health’s Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH), was when his heart stopped in January 2025. Thankfully for Dr. Solow, his son was just ahead of him on the platform.

The Greater Toronto Area–based physician heard his father collapse and immediately sprang into action. He performed CPR and then used the resort’s automated external defibrillator to bring his father back to life, before brain damage could occur.

The doctor becomes the patient

Dr. Solow was rushed to a nearby hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, where medical staff confirmed he was no longer in immediate danger. An echocardiogram revealed the likely reason his heart stopped: severe aortic stenosis due to an undiagnosed heart condition called bicuspid aortic valve disease. However, the local hospital wasn’t equipped to perform further tests and recommended he return to Canada. He and his family knew exactly where he needed to be.

Oak Valley Health established a cardiac care partnership with Unity Health Toronto in 2024 that gives patients access to advanced cardiac procedures, with streamlined care and communication between hospitals. The result is that community members can go to their local hospital and trust they’ll get world-class care, no matter what they need.

“Our patient population has grown exponentially, and it’s skewing older,” Dr. Paul Hacker, Oak Valley Health’s Lead Cardiologist, explains. “Most cardiac patients end up needing an intervention, so these partnerships are critical for us to be able to provide care to patients closer to home.”

Dr. Solow arrived at MSH by air ambulance at 2 a.m. the following morning, where he was admitted to the Cardiology Unit. Later that day, Dr. Russell Fernandes, the attending cardiologist, was shocked to see a colleague become his patient.

“I saw ‘Henry Solow’ on the email, and I figured he was referring a patient,” he explains. “Then I looked again and said, ‘Wait a minute, they’re talking about him.’”

Going to a downtown hospital didn’t even enter my mind, because MSH is my home. I spent 35 years working there, and it’s really like family — it’s a community. I knew they would look after me.

Dr. Henry Solow

Born that way

The aortic valve usually has three leaflets that close after the heart pumps blood into the aorta. In Dr. Solow’s case, he was born with only two, which can lead to a narrowing of the valve (stenosis) and cause the heart to work harder.

Valvular heart disease, which is the umbrella term for Dr. Solow’s condition, affects approximately 2.5 per cent of Canadians. While symptoms may be non-existent when the disease is mild, if aortic stenosis develops and remains undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to stroke, heart failure, blood clots or, as Dr. Solow experienced, cardiac arrest.

Dr. Fernandes performed tests on Dr. Solow to ensure he was stable and to confirm the diagnosis. “With this cardiac condition, you have to be very careful with how you administer treatment, because there can be complications if you’re too aggressive,” Dr. Fernandes notes.

Continuity of care

As part of the cardiac partnership with Unity Health Toronto, Dr. Solow was transported downtown to St. Michael’s Hospital for an angiogram, and a stent was inserted in one of his arteries to improve blood flow. One of the many benefits of this partnership is the seamless integration of patient health information, no matter where they are.

Dr. Solow returned to MSH the same day to recover and a week later, he underwent a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) to repair his bicuspid aortic valve. During the TAVI, a replacement valve was inserted through a catheter and implanted inside the existing valve.

In spring 2025, MSH opened its new Cardiac Device Clinic to service patients with implanted pacemakers. It’s part of Oak Valley Health’s long-term strategy to advance the hospital’s cardiac program in the coming years. The stepwise plan would enable cardiologists to implant pacemakers and more advanced devices, and perform angioplasties, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac ablations, among other procedures, says Dr. Hacker.

With a 32 per cent increase in cardiac patients since 2019 and a projected population of 500,000 by 2030, this is one of the many ways MSH is stepping up to provide better cardiac care as the community grows.

Dr. Solow continued his recovery from the TAVI at MSH, was released after three days, and returned to work one month later.

“Going from doctor to patient to doctor was nothing,” Dr. Solow insists. “I was just touched, because half the hospital came to see me: doctors, nurses from my clinic and other wards, lab staff. It was nothing short of exceptional.”

Donate Today

Shlomi Amiga

Article from

Read full story

Our Stories

Stories of care and compassion and the power of your help.
A heartbeat away from home
In Conversation with Dr. Jennifer Li, General Surgeon, MSH
Trusting her instincts
Beating the Odds
Cancer strengthens bond between mother and son
Giving back in major ways
Life-saving care
From surviving to thriving
All in the family
Donna's fight against cancer
A family affair
Compassion in Action
Life saving care
Supporting the families of tomorrow
Close to home
Beyond their practice
Hope amidst diagnosis
A nineteen year journey of giving and volunteering
Survival and gratitude
Resilience through adversity
The Morris Family: Defining Their Legacy
Finding a safe place through therapy at MSH
A lifetime of kindness
Finding comfort and hope at MSH
Lighting the way to more efficient treatment
Season of Giving, Season of Care
A good news story
Generations of generosity
State-of-the-art care
At the centre of care
Family ties
A dynamic duo
The road back to health