An East Toronto resident, Dale credits Dr. Mohammad Zia and his cath lab colleagues for saving her life.
A routine visit to her family doctor alerted Dale to a potential heart issue. She was immediately referred to Dr. Zia, Interventional Cardiologist and Medical Director of Cardiac Program Expansion at Michael Garron Hospital.
They met within two weeks and diagnostic tests at our hospital soon followed, culminating in an angiogram in our cath lab to assess arterial plaque build-up and blood flow.
The news? One of Dale’s arteries was 70% blocked, with moderate blockages elsewhere. Plaque build-up can trigger a heart attack by restricting blood flow, damaging or even destroying part of the heart muscle.
Dr. Zia treated Dale’s severe blockage with angioplasty in the same session. During the procedure, he used real-time X-ray imaging to guide a thin catheter with a tiny balloon and stent (a wire mesh tube) to the artery. He expanded the balloon and stent to open the artery, leaving the stent in place to prevent it from closing.
“Dr. Zia didn’t waste any time. He’s very good at what he does,” says Dale. “I’m here because of Dr. Zia. He saved my life.”
She adds that “the cath lab team is a well-oiled machine. Everybody knew what they were supposed to do, and they did it with precision.”
Capacity doubled
The team can now care for twice as many patients annually – up to 3,000 people each year – thanks to donor funding for expansion of the cath lab, which was completed in March 2026.
Heather Walton and Ritchie Family, Ange and Adrian Rocca and the Tripp/Smith Family Foundation are among the many donors who enabled us to build a second procedure room, create a larger and more comfortable patient recovery area and outfit the lab with leading-edge equipment.
Reflecting on her experience, Dale is grateful she can access advanced heart care in her community. “It makes a big difference. If something were to happen to me, I can be at Michael Garron Hospital in less than 15 minutes, and that’s important.”
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