This is Brad.
For many years, Brad generously shared his story to help others understand the difference made by the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (the Maz), at the University of Alberta Hospital.
Brad was born with a congenital heart defect, Transposition of the Great Vessels, and had his first surgery at 11 days old at the University of Alberta Hospital. At five, he had the Mustard procedure at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, a historic open-heart surgery to reroute blood flow inside the heart’s upper chambers. Not only did Brad survive, but he also thrived, without any issues until his mid-30s.
At 34, Brad experienced his first major cardiac event. Doctors worked what he liked to call “cardiac magic,” and he was prescribed a new combination of medications. He was well for a long time after and continued to work with the same passion as ever. Over the following decade he was in hospital more often, but with his tenacity, and the care he received at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, he bounced back each time.
By 2019, Brad was living with a heart that had first been repaired 47 years earlier. It was tired, and in late-stage failure. He needed a transplant, but wasn’t a candidate – over the years, his body had adapted to his heart’s limitations, and, in his words, “a new heart would be like putting a Ferrari engine into a 1966 Skoda.”
This is where Brad’s story became remarkable. Through the skill of the medical team at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Brad was fitted with a Ventricular Assist Device on January 18, 2019. This decision brought with it the real gift: more time.
Brad often spoke about how fortunate he felt, for the care he received, for his community and for the family and friends that supported him. He became a mentor to many others living with a VAD, offering honesty, comfort and hope to people navigating the same uncertain path he faced.
VAD’s are not just for people with congenital heart defects, but also for those who have had a significant cardiac event. We all know someone who will have, or has had a cardiac event, and some of these people didn’t, or won’t, make it. With a VAD, many more will.
Over the years, Brad and his wife Leanne have helped to raise over $200,000 for the Maz, and, today, the VAD program has grown to be one of the largest in Canada. In 2025-6, 126 patients were living in the community with a VAD, each one benefiting, in part, from the path Brad helped pave through his advocacy and generosity.
Brad passed away in August 2026, and our hearts are heavy as we extend our deep condolences to his family and community. Thank you, Brad, for your generosity, your candour, your ability to laugh and lift spirits, and your belief in the power of this program to change, and save, lives.
To honour Brad’s memory and continue the work he cared so deeply about, please consider a gift to the University Hospital Foundation. Your gift will go directly toward the VAD program at the Maz.
