The 911 call that changed everything: Nikki’s story
Patient Stories
Sirens blared and flashing lights illuminated the dark October sky.
The ambulance was speeding down Highway 85, bolting to Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) from Nikki Bakes’s home 20 kilometres away.
Inside the emergency response vehicle, paramedics worked on 37-year-old Nikki, trying hard to keep her alive before WRHN’s cardiac specialists could take over.
Nikki, a new mom to a then four-month-old baby, had experienced spontaneous coronary artery dissection, more commonly referred to as a SCAD heart attack.
It caused her heart to stop for nine minutes – about as long as it takes to cook a hard-boiled egg.
The paramedics had to use defibrillator paddles on me three or four times; they kept getting me back and losing me.
When she arrived at WRHN @ Queen’s Blvd. (formerly St. Mary’s), the cardiac team was ready for her. She would spend the next several days there in the ICU.
An unexpected culprit
SCAD heart attacks, which disproportionately strike women, seem to come out of nowhere. They happen when a blood vessel suddenly tears and flaps down into itself, blocking blood flow.
Certain conditions can increase the likelihood of a SCAD heart attack, including hormonal fluctuations that come during and after pregnancy.
Nikki’s symptoms began with shoulder soreness, which she attributed to carrying around a heavy diaper bag and car seat. Then, hours later, she started feeling pressure building in her chest.
Nikki downplayed her symptoms, telling her husband she was fine. But when he saw her grimacing in discomfort on the bathroom floor, he called an ambulance.
I remember telling him: ‘don’t call 911. I’m OK' -- I’m so glad he didn’t listen.
The moments that saved a life
Nikki, now 41, credits three things with saving her life: her husband’s insistence on calling an ambulance, the quick-acting paramedics, and the excellent care she received at WRHN.
Her heart attack put things in perspective for Nikki, highlighting the importance of having an excellent healthcare network – complete with a top cardiac program – close to home.
Nearly five years later, Nikki continues to support the Regional Cardiac Care Centre at WRHN by fundraising through Foundation events like RedDAY, which help fund heart health across Waterloo Region.
“We are so fortunate to have the cardiac services that we do in our community,” she says. “Not just for the care they gave me, but for the empathetic and emotional care they gave my family on what was one of the worst days of their lives.
After having experienced that, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
More memories to make
Each year on Oct. 6, Nikki reflects on the anniversary of her SCAD heart attack. She thinks about her now five-year-old son, and how he nearly lost his mother before he could even make memories with her.
“It’s wild to think what the outcome could have been had I not received the care I did from both the paramedics and the cardiac program at WRHN,” Nikki says.
“I got to experience my son’s first Halloween, his first Christmas, my first Mother’s Day. I'm so glad to have been there for all those milestones."
I can’t imagine a little four-month old baby taking on the world without his mom.”
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