On August 3, 2019, Québec couple Guylaine Pépin and Marc Gagne were camping in Lamèque on the Acadian Peninsula when Pépin lost consciousness.
Medical officials in Tracadie-Sheila determined that she was suffering from an acute ascending aortic dissection. This condition occurs when there is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta.
This vital artery delivers blood from the left side of the heart to the rest of the body. The tear creates a pathway for blood to flow between the inner and middle layers, and if it penetrates the outer wall, it can result in a life-threatening situation.
Pépin was taken to Miramichi’s airport for a flight to the New Brunswick Heart Centre at Saint John Regional Hospital.
However, foggy weather diverted her flight to Fredericton, where she was driven to Saint John by ambulance, arriving just after midnight on August 4.
Dr. Craig Brown and Dr. David Hughes spoke with Pépin, while anesthesia assistant Peter Triantafillou translated. They also reached out to Gagne to update him on the situation as he was driving from Lamèque to Saint John.
“There were a lot of things going on inside of my head. I didn’t know if I would arrive here and someone would tell me she was dead,” Gagne told reporters at the hospital on Tuesday, where they returned to thank those who saved Pépin’s life.
After several hours on the operating table and a number of days in the hospital, Pépin was released on August 10 and returned home to Québec.
In the five years since the surgery, the couple has travelled, biked and hiked over 3,000 kilometres, and Pépin has been able to watch her four grandchildren grow up.
“It’s finished and ends with a nice story because they saved her life, and we are happy about that because that’s a good story from New Brunswick for us,” Gagne added.
Triantafillou and Pépin kept in touch through emails, appreciating the active lifestyles of both her and Gagne. He finds Pepin’s extraordinary resilience to be particularly motivating.
“It inspires me to never ever give up. It’s basically what I think about when thinking about her,” said Triantafillou.
