A life of resilience, met with compassionate care

At 97, Hedy Bohm was still teaching.

In the gathering room of her condominium, she led classes she had built herself, bringing people together through movement, conversation and community. Even as the world shifted online, she adapted, continuing her sessions over Zoom with the same energy and purpose that had defined her life.

This was just weeks before a sudden illness changed everything. 

A legacy born from adversity

Born in a small town in Transylvania, now part of Romania, Hedy’s early life was shaped by unimaginable loss and upheaval. As a girl, she survived multiple Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, where both her parents were killed.  

In the face of profound trauma, Hedy not only endured but also developed a deep commitment to ensuring future generations would understand not just the consequences of hatred but the importance of compassion.

After immigrating to Canada at age 20, Hedy built a life grounded in that mission. For decades, she was unable to speak of the horrors she had endured. Then, later in life, Hedy felt she could not remain silent any longer. She summoned her courage and began visiting schools across the GTA, sharing her story with students. With quiet strength and humility, she encouraged young people to stand up for one another, challenge prejudice and choose empathy.

Her influence has been far-reaching. Former students have written to her years later, describing how her words changed the course of their lives, reflecting her enduring belief that even the most difficult experiences can be transformed into something meaningful.

Now, in her twilight years, she has found herself on the receiving end of care, supported by a team at Sinai Health that has walked alongside her throughout multiple phases of her health journey.

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How patient-centric health care can restore strength and independence

Hedy was initially introduced to the culture of caring at Mount Sinai Hospital in 1958, on the occasion of the birth of her son Ronnie. She recounts how kind everyone was and how safe she felt.  Fast forward over 55 years.  That’s when Hedy first came under the care of Dr. Darshan Brahmbhatt at the Miles Nadal Heart Centre in early 2024, her health had taken a sudden turn.

After a series of hospitalizations, she was diagnosed with heart failure caused by a severely leaking valve. This condition made it difficult for her heart to pump blood efficiently, leaving her short of breath and limiting her ability to stay active.

For many patients her age, treatment options are limited. But Dr. Brahmbhatt saw something different. “She was incredibly robust,” he recalls, adding that typically his goal isn’t to give someone a completely new life, but to help them return to the life they value.

Together, Dr. Brahmbhatt and Hedy made the decision to pursue a minimally invasive procedure to repair her valve, an option rarely considered for someone in their late 90s, but one that aligned with Hedy’s strength and determination.

The result was transformative. Hedy returned to many of the activities she loved, regaining a level of independence that had briefly felt out of reach.

For her daughter, Vicky Bohm, the impact went beyond the clinical outcome. “Dr. Brahmbhatt’s warmth, kindness and interest in who my mother was — not just medically, but as a person — was extraordinary,” she says. “I had a tremendous sense of there being this safety net encompassing my mother.”

That trust became the foundation for everything that followed.

Care that sees the whole person

At Sinai Health, cardiac care doesn’t happen in isolation. Programs like the Anna Prosserman Heart Function Clinic ensure patients are closely monitored after discharge, helping prevent complications and supporting recovery at home.

But just as important is the philosophy behind the care: treating patients as individuals, not diagnoses.

Dr. Brahmbhatt took the time to understand Hedy’s life — her teaching, her independence, her resilience. He encouraged her to keep moving, to stay engaged, to continue doing the things that gave her joy.

“He would say, ‘This is why we’re doing this, so you can keep living your life,’” Vicky recalls.

This approach reflects Sinai Health’s broader commitment to integrated, patient-centred care in meeting people where they are and helping them maintain quality of life at every stage.

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A seamless transition to palliative care

Later, when Hedy was diagnosed with blood cancer, she made the deeply personal decision to focus on comfort and quality of life, rather than pursue further treatment.

That transition — from active cardiac care to palliative care — can often feel abrupt. At Sinai Health, it wasn’t. Instead, it was seamless.

Dr. Brahmbhatt remained involved in an advisory role, while leadership of Hedy’s care transitioned to Dr. Marnie Howe and the team at the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care.

“I think it’s really important patients don’t feel abandoned,” says Dr. Brahmbhatt. “We continue to support them, just in a different way.”

At home, Hedy is now surrounded by a care circle that includes physicians, nurses and her family. The focus is no longer on extending life, but on ensuring comfort, dignity and peace.

And yet, even in this phase, there have been moments of unexpected strength and even humour.

Recently, after Vicky told her mother how well she looked, “She said to me, ‘It’s not going according to plan.’ So, there’s still that wit, that spark.”

A legacy that continues to give

Recently, Hedy celebrated the launch of her book, Reflection, a culmination of a lifetime spent bearing witness and sharing her story. Friends, family, former students and many others whose lives had been shaped by her story gathered for the book launch. “We were so moved by how many people wanted to be there,” says Vicky. “My mother did this simply because she wanted to reach young people.”

She recalls a letter Hedy received from a young man who had once heard her speak. Vicky says the man had been struggling with his mental health, and had written, “When I listened to you and saw the strength that you had, I knew that I could go on with my life.”

Sitting alongside her at her book launch was Dr. Brahmbhatt. “It was a very sweet, heartfelt feeling,” Hedy says. “I felt very safe, and I trusted him with my life.”

For Vicky, the moment captured something essential, not only about her mother’s life but about the care she has received. “That’s the kind of human and doctor he is,” she says. “It’s not just about medicine, it’s about connection.”

That connection reflects Sinai Health’s legacy as an institution founded on compassion, while its continued leadership in delivering care evolves with patients’ needs. From advanced cardiac interventions to pioneering palliative care at home, Sinai Health is there at every stage — supporting not just longer lives, but better ones.

For Hedy Bohm, that has meant the chance to keep teaching, to keep connecting, and now, to approach the end of life with the same grace and strength that have defined her story.

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Help more patients receive the kind of care Hedy experienced

From life-changing cardiac treatment to compassionate care at home, Sinai Health supports patients through every stage of life with expertise, empathy and respect for what matters most to them.

Your donation helps make this seamless, patient-centred care possible. Give today to support critical programs in cardiology, palliative care and beyond, and help more patients live well at every stage of their journey.