Duane Hicks
A 24-year-old local woman is making a promising recovery in an Ottawa hospital after she experienced heart failure last week.
Samantha “Sam” Pearson had been taking the immunosuppressant prednisone due to a severe allergic reaction to a drug given to her for rheumatoid arthritis.
She was being weened off the drug, had another reaction, had her dosage increase, and was being weened off it a second time when she had heart failure on March 21.
Pearson’s mother, Ellen Gagne, said yesterday her daughter went to the intensive care unit at La Verendrye Hospital, was flown to Thunder Bay, and then flown to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
“She’s been in ICU for over a week now, and the first few days were really very scary. They didn’t know if she’d make it or not,” said Gagne.
“She had a team of about 20 doctors working on her case.
“They had her papers filled out for a heart transplant and the whole bit, in case she made it, and now, she has not only come through it but she’s been walking around,” Gagne noted.
“Her heart is healing. It’s back to 45 percent.
“She’s still in the intensive care unit, but all her tubes are out,” Gagne added.
“They have her on heart-sustaining drugs.”
Gagne said her daughter is “smiling and laughing,” breathing on her own, and “she just keeps getting better every day.”
“We’re just going to keep praying that she keeps it up and we can get her home soon,” she remarked.
Gagne said what doctors think happened was her daughter caught viral myocarditis—an inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium) which resembles a heart attack but where the coronary arteries are not blocked.
“They still don’t understand how this affected a 24-year-old, very fit, healthy young girl, so she’s going to be part of a four-year study from here on,” Gage noted, later adding that some specialists have called Sam’s recovery “a miracle.”
“She had a whole bunch of tests done today, and she just keeps improving and improving, which we’re thrilled about,” added Gagne, who along with Sam’s stepfather, Peter Gagne, Sam’s father, Victor Pearson, Sam’s sister, Jessica Pearson and her two boys and fiancé, Jay Sobkowicz, and Sam’s friend, Ben Morelli, have gone to Ottawa to be with her.
“We’re all staying here in the residence . . . we’re thinking we might be here another week because they’re moving her to the coronary ward today, which is more of a regular room because she’s doing so well,” said Gagne.
“And then they’re going to start weening her off prednisone again and see what happens.
“I won’t feel good until she’s clear of that.”
Gagne said it’s unclear yet when her daughter will be able to come home, but it looking as if she can be treated with drug, and not have to have a heart transplant.
“It’s still going to be a long haul, but she’s a very fit young girl with a wonderful attitude. That’s what’s really helping,” Gagne remarked.
“Plus all of the prayers from home—it’s just been amazing, the support. I just thank everybody so much.
“They don’t have any idea how much it means to us,” she stressed.
