Project Heart is a movement intended to raise awareness about the range of conditions that can impact the heart and encourage the adoption of heart-healthy habits.
In 2021, Project Heart founder Cody McKay was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm, after a chest x-ray incidentally found an anomaly with his heart. As a 29-year-old competitive athlete, he was completely unaware of aortic aneurysms and the risks they posed, but quickly realized the life-threatening gravity of the situation he was in. In December of 2022, he underwent open-heart surgery at the Heart Institute to have the aneurysm removed and replaced with a synthetic graft. Six weeks following the surgery he was back on the bike, and at the three-month mark, he returned to structured training. In May of 2023, he returned to the racing circuit.
A key pillar of Project Heart is fundraising for the Heart Institute to ensure that Canada’s largest cardiac centre continues to deliver world-class patient care, engage in innovative ground-breaking research, and train the next generation of talent for cardiac care.
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