A gift to dad and daughter from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Eric and Kennedie Beveridge are a tight dad-daughter duo.

"Yeah, we’re pretty close," said 12-year-old Kennedie.

"I don’t really have enough time to tell you how much I love the kid," said Eric.

Both are huge lovers of life. Together, they seize every minute.

"Since I was little, I’ve always been like, 'Go hard or go home,'" Kennedie said with a smile.

"This day might be your last, you know?  Don’t forget to live a little bit," said her father, Eric.

It’s a philosophy born from real-life experience and the heartache of loss.

"Unfortunately, she knows it more than most 12-year-olds do," said Eric.

Kennedie was only five, but still recalls that terrible day.

"I remember waking up in the morning and getting ready for school and my mom wasn’t coming out of her room," said Kennedie.

Her mom, Samantha, just 38, would die suddenly from a heart abnormality.

"They just told me that her heart stopped beating," Kennedie said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Her heart just stopped beating in the middle of the night and didn’t start again," said Eric.

Already grieving the devastating loss of her mom, Kennedie would again come face to face with the unimaginable five years later when her dad was almost taken from her too.

"It was a crazy experience, but I’m happy that he’s alive," said Kennedie.

Eric, then 44, was on a bike and training for his first triathlon.

"I couldn’t have told you anything was going to happen.  It just felt like a normal bike ride up Linebank Road and back to the house," he said.

However, near the end of his ride, Eric had a full cardiac arrest and crashed to the pavement. 

Fortunately, for Eric, off-duty firefighter Pat Portugaise happened upon the scene.

"Pat’s an Ottawa Firefighter and he works with my brother.  He just happened to be driving by because he was helping a friend move."

The firefighter began CPR on the scene, worked tirelessly with paramedics inside the ambulance, and successfully restarted Eric’s heart.

"And somebody made the wise call to go to the heart institute," said Eric.

Eric’s main coronary artery was completely blocked. 

"It’s called a widow maker," he said.

Eric Beveridge at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. (Photo courtesy: Kennedie and Eric Beveridge)

Doctors at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute—including cardiologist Michel Lemay, who pioneered the STEMI protocol for responding to, and treating, this deadly type of heart attack, inserted 3 stents to restore blood flow to Eric’s heart and other major organs. 

Eric also had surgery to repair a brain bleed related to his fall. He would remain in a coma for nearly two weeks.  

"My mom and my girlfriend, Shelley, were there every day for hours. They were blown away by the level of care at the Heart Institute," Eric said.

Eric doesn’t recall much about his early days in the UOHI.  However, some memories are vivid.

"One of the things I do remember as I was coming out of the coma was Kennedie walking into the room. I just totally broke down. I couldn’t even believe it. Yeah, that was crazy," said an emotional Eric.

"I remember the feeling when they told me he was awake,” Kennedie said.

"It was the greatest day of my life. I couldn’t believe it." 

But living is believing. For Eric and Kennedie Beveridge, that gift of life is everything.

Kennedie and Eric Beveridge at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. (Photo courtesy: Kennedie and Eric Beveridge)

This month, we’re reminded that the lives forever changed by the UOHI aren’t limited to those in its care.   

Just ask a dad and daughter who still have each other to love.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said a smiling Kennedie.

“Obviously, I’m pretty thankful the Heart Institute exists in our city,” said Eric.

"When you get another second to spend it with your family and your daughter and your loved ones every day, it’s all so amazing."

To support life-saving research and care at the UOHI, please give at februaryisheartmonth.ca.