Pam Cameron's Advice: Carpe Diem, Sieze the Day

Standing outside the plexi-glass enclosure watching her young students gracefully dance across the ice, I contemplate the world of Pam Cameron.  Pam's students face their routines with a firm resolve.  In that very same manner, the woman herself faces life.

At 44 years old Pam has just passed a milestone.  In August 2008, together with her family, Pam celebrated the 10^th anniversary of her life-altering brush with death.  Her dramatic account belies the slim, beautiful woman sitting in front of me. 

In August 1998, Pam was at home enjoying her first ever three-week vacation with her two children, aged 7 and 9, when she experienced a constriction in her throat.  Breathing became increasingly difficult until Pam found herself at her doctor’s office complaining of an allergic reaction. 

Three days after her first incident, Pam again found herself in distress.  The severity of this reaction left Pam feeling like her throat was closing and with it, drawing her life from her.  Pam was trained in CPR and because she was not experiencing the classic signs of heart attack, the idea that she might be in cardiac failure was far from her mind.  In acute discomfort, early Sunday morning Stuart, Pam’s husband, rushed her from their then- Gibson Street home in Parry Sound to Emergency (ER). 

As they entered ER, a nurse who was the mother of one of Pam’s students met them.  Our circle is small in Parry Sound.  This familiarity is a constant thread.

Despite her anxiety, Pam was issuing orders to Stuart to attend to her power skating students arriving at the rink for a 10 a.m. class.  Stuart fought her but Pam insisted the students be apprised of the cancelled class.  Forever the teacher, taking care of her class was Pam’s life, despite as it turned out her own tenuous grip on it. 

Once hooked up to a heart monitor, Pam’s vital signs revealed nothing unusual. With Pam’s distress intensifying the ER doctor ordered morphine.  Just 10 minutes after the injection, ‘classic heart attack’ symptoms appeared.  Pam’s left arm grew alarmingly painful.  Unable to bear the weight and constriction of her watch, Pam tore it from her arm flinging it across the room.  Barely 20 minutes after arriving in ER and 10 minutes after the first dose, Pam was administered another injection of morphine.

In the midst of receiving this second dose, Pam’s world went white.  Pam Cameron mother of two, skating teacher to many, wife, sister, daughter and friend, just 34 years old was in full-blown cardiac arrest. 

Once Stuart had delivered his message to those gathered at the Bobby Orr Community Centre, he virtually did a u-turn arriving back to Pam’s room to witness the paddles of a defibrillator being firmly applied to Pam’s chest.  With ER staff racing to deliver a series of shocks to her heart, Pam had entered into a world of white and peace.  In anguish, her husband turned his mind to the shock of his children’s world without their mother. 

The next thing Pam remembers are voices yelling in the midst of a commotion. 

The ER doctor called a cardiologist in Sudbury.  Hearing Pam’s story the Sudbury doctor recommended a tPA drip (clot-dissolving drug) before transporting her to the regional heart centre.  The doctor then explained to Pam both the benefits and risks prior to her agreeing to the procedure.

Several hours later, Stuart left the hospital surrounded by friends as Pam, now stabilized, was airlifted to Sudbury.  By 9 p.m. Sunday evening, Sudbury cardiologists were operating on Pam to fix an artery that had collapsed.  There was a single critical blockage but seemingly no obvious explanation as to why it had occurred.  The doctor told Pam that ‘arteries are like onions, there are layers and layers of them and your layers just fell apart in that one spot’.  That Sunday night, Pam received a stent and within 24 hours was recuperating in ICU back in Parry Sound.

Everything seemed fine, at first.  But by Tuesday, Pam was failing, again experiencing chest pain but now far worse than Sunday’s occurrence.  Restriction of the throat seemed uncontrollable and her weakening condition was now showing on the monitors.  Stuart never left her side. 

Dr. Fargher, just back in town but still on vacation, rushed to Pam at her family doctor’s request. He assessed Pam’s condition as critical, made some changes to her medications and arranged transfer back to Sudbury for a repeat angiography on an urgent basis.

On that Tuesday, Pam was airlifted for a second time.  Once Pam arrived in Sudbury, the angiography revealed that the new stent had torn into her artery.  (Implanting a stent is far more difficult in women because our arteries are very small).  Because her heart was failing, Pam was put onto a heart assist device, other management plans were also put into place.  For 24 hours the machine kept Pam’s blood flowing until one of the surgeons assessing her stated, ‘I’m doing the surgery now or this woman is not going to make it.’

At 9 p.m. that night, surgeons in Sudbury undertook a triple by-pass on 34-year-old Pam Cameron.  Two veins were taken from her right leg, and one from her left chest, (left internal thoracic arteries are apparently the best match).

Remarkably, Pam the mother was home a week after her by-pass operation realizing the dream of seeing her children start school on the Tuesday following Labour Day.

For Pam the world has changed.  Pam now lives in the presence of God.  In her constant dialogue with that power, Pam is bargaining.  In those first few days, it was a plea to let her be with her children as they started school and then it was the dream of their graduation.  Now, Pam dares to imagine watching careers blossom, marriages flourish and grandchildren laugh. 

It wasn’t always like that though.

When first home from the hospital, Pam was frightened to even move, always wondering if ‘it’ would happen again.  In 1998, Pam was one of the first patients to enter Dr. Fargher’s and the Health Centre’s fledgling Cardiac Rehab program.  For Pam, the program was amazing and the wonder was in the details.  Everything from the exercise, diet information, drug counseling ‘It really changed my life and got me back on my feet quickly.  I learned so much about heart disease about all the things that keep you healthy, what to do and what not to do.”

Exercise has always been a part of Pam’s life.  She was doing her 3^rd triathlon in Parry Sound when struck down by her heart.  While Pam’s method of exercise has changed.  It’s not because of her heart but rather a hip replacement.  And, her commitment to exercise hasn’t faded one bit.  Pam’s recovery from heart surgery kept her off the ice for four months.  Then, in December of 1998, she returned both to her work and to her joy, figure skating.

Today, Pam continues to skate, teach, walk on a treadmill and manage her gardening business.  She sees Dr. Fargher once a year undergoing a series of tests about a month leading up to her visit.

When I called Pam to ask her if I might interview her for our Cardiac series, Pam immediately thanked me.  Feeling like I should be thanking Pam, I asked her about her response as our interview drew to a close.  Pam simply said. “I appreciate everything done for me and I’m so appreciative of not just my help but the help given to the community.”

Pam understands, perhaps more than most, that the West Parry Sound Health Centre helps people continue to live in our remote area.  Pam took part in the inaugural Do It For Life run held last year with her daughter Hailey.  The words ‘Do It For Life’ really resonate for a woman who has defied death only to embrace life to its fullest.

Pam will be participating on May 31st in the Cardiac Rehab 2K, 5K, or 10K walk, run or roll ‘Do It For Life’.  All money raised from this goal setting day of fun and exercise will remain in the community purchasing a life-saving ventilator for ICU.  Remaining funds will support the Health Centre Foundation’s Electronic Health Records campaign.  Please help save a life locally and join in the fun.  You can learn more at www.psrun.com.

If you or someone near you is experiencing symptom of a heart attack, call 911.