Arts Hudson

Canadian Artist Leo Schimanszky Immortalises Scan
that Saved His Life
One that detected a 'silent killer'
thanks to two doctors who really cared
by James Parry

Passionate about life and his many paintings and sculptures that have won international critical acclaim over the decades, 79 year-old Canadian artist Leo Schimanszky considers himself to be truly blessed and lucky to be alive today folowing emergency surgery last November. For a disease that he describes as a potential 'silent killer' and for which, he says, he experienced no warning signals or symptoms* whatsoever.

That disease, he was to learn to his horror, is Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and, in his case, diagnosed by a particular scan called a CT-Angiogram. In essence, it sees a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel that runs from the heart down through the chest and stomach, which can get bigger over time and burst causing life-threatening bleeding. Indeed, it is estimated that eight out of ten people with such a rupture either die before they reach hospital or do not survive surgery.

As for the scan, this is a type of medical test that combines a regular CT scan with an injection through an intravenous (IV) line of a special dye to produce images of blood vessels and tissues in a specific part of one's body.

Incredibly, the disease was only finally identified after other X-rays and scans over a period of several months following an initial visit to his doctor for a regular annual checkup. Explains Schimanszky, “Apart from having some back pain, which is not unusual for artists or sculptors who are bent over a lot of the time when working on their creations, I felt really healthy for my age. But just to be on safe side, I guess, I was sent for X-rays and scans all of which came back negative revealing absolutely nothing wrong. Nothing whatsoever!

“And then, at the recommendation of Dr Callie Padan, a family practioner at Polyclinique Médicale de Vaudreuil, I was sent to the Hawkesbury General Hospital for yet another examination and the very next day I received a telephone call telling me to go immediately to the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal where I met for the first time with Dr, Girsowicz who gave me the news. He would have to operate. I asked him when? And he told me immediately if not before. It was that serious! I think my heart stopped right there and then and I was absolutely terrified. But I trusted him implicitly.”

Following an eight-hour operation at the MJGH, it was a few days later that Schimanszky came out of heavy post-op medication and, as he recalls, “The first thing I asked for was a sheet or paper and a pen and I drew an illustration capturing in a very simple way what I had just experienced.”

Following four months of rest and recovery, he would return to that illustration in his home studio and, based on that, create a magnificent 16''x18'' acrylic/mixed media painting titled SCAN50+ that he has dedicated to Drs. Girsowicz and Padan and their teams in appreciation of them having saved his life. Says Schimanszky, “I really want to make people, particularly over 50, aware of this terrible disease and, should they be experiencing any of the known symptoms (listed below), ask their doctor whether a CT-Angiogram would be a good idea. In my case, it certainly was!”

* Symptoms of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm include clammy skin, dizziness, fainting, fast heart beat, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, and sudden severe pain in the stomach, lower back or legs.