Mike Walker’s Ironman: a race to stop sudden cardiac deaths in children and youth

Mar 6, 2023

Michael Gollob and Mike Walker, wearing masks, stand by a heart monitoring console. — *Dr. Michael Gollob and Mike Walker in the Inherited Arrhythmia Clinic at Toronto General Hospital.*

This September, Mike Walker will race in the Ironman Maryland triathlon. Over the course of his 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike ride and 42.2-kilometre marathon, Walker will be thinking of the patients he’s served over his many years working at the University Health Network’s Toronto General Hospital (TGH) to inspire him to get to the finish line.

Walker’s goal: to raise awareness and financial support for U of T’s research into inherited heart arrhythmias and their causes. These are conditions that can, in rare cases, prove fatal to otherwise healthy seeming children and young people. His campaign will help deliver hope to the patients and families impacted by sudden cardiac deaths.

“At the end of the day, this is not about me and my Ironman,” says Walker. “It’s about raising awareness and funds for research that can save lives. There couldn’t be a better cause to support.”

Tests and genetic research allow for early interventions to save lives

Initially a volunteer in the cardiac rehab program at TGH, Walker is currently an exercise physiologist conducting cardiopulmonary exercise tests on patients in the heart function, adult congenital and cardio-oncology clinics. He also works for the inherited arrhythmia clinic, where he works with Dr. Michael Gollob, associate professor in cardiology and physiology at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and research director of the Inherited Arrhythmia and Cardiomyopathy Program at TGH.

Mike Walker smiles as he jogs across a race finish line at night.

People think it’s only older people that are at risk of dangerous heart arrhythmias but sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time.

For nearly ten years, Gollob and his team of researchers have advanced investigations into the causes of inherited cardiac arrythmias — irregular heartbeats caused by faulty electrical signaling that, in rare cases, can prove fatal to otherwise healthy seeming children and young people. Thanks to recent discoveries, the Gollob lab has identified specific genetic abnormalities connected to several types of these arrhythmia conditions, allowing for early interventions that can help save lives.

Walker is a proud partner in the Gollob lab’s efforts — conducting graded tests to assess whether exercise induces arrhythmias in individual patients.

“One type of patient we see are those with histories of fainting, or syncope. While there could be a number of factors that lead them to faint, including low blood sugar or dehydration, we’ll run tests to determine if it’s related to their heart,” explains Walker. “People think it’s only older people with coronary artery disease that are at risk of dangerous heart arrhythmias but sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. Fainting can often be the first sign that something is wrong.”

People think it’s only older people that are at risk of dangerous heart arrhythmias but sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time.

Walker notes how, while working with families grieving the sudden loss of their child can be emotionally challenging, it is a constant reminder of the importance of the team’s investigations. One instance, in particular, struck home for him and sticks with him still today.

“I saw a family whose 12-year old boy was playing baseball,” says Walker. “He hit a home run and collapsed on his way to home plate. At the time, my son had just turned 12 and he also played baseball. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than losing your child.”

To make a gift to Walker’s Ironman campaign, please visit his secure, online giving page. Donations will catalyze and accelerate the Gollob lab’s important work.

By Deanna Cheng

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