Halloween is Bryde Fresque’s favourite day of the year. So when his appointment with Dr. Carolyn Nessim in 2013 got moved to October 31st, he knew what he had to do – dress for the occasion. Bryde showed up in a head-to-toe in his homemade Iron Man costume!
Bryde ended up in Dr. Nessim’s care after developing an unbearable pain in his side while driving home from Napanee on Boxing Day 2012. The pain was so intense he made his way to the closest ER where he was quickly transferred to the Civic by ambulance.
By the time he arrived, he was hemorrhaging from a spontaneous rupture of his left adrenal gland. Thankfully, Bryde was in good hands and our interventional radiologists performed an emergency embolization procedure.
In the months that followed, Bryde experience more unusual symptoms that were hard to explain, including a large mass in his abdomen.
A panel of experts at our hospital ultimately diagnosed 32-year-old Bryde with a pheochromocytoma — a rare tumour that left his future uncertain.
But Bryde has a zest for life that sets him apart, so when he showed up in a full Iron Man costume for his pre-op appointment, Dr. Nessim knew Bryde’s positive attitude was going to help him through the very serious and extensive surgery that lay ahead.
The complex procedure lasted 12 hours and required a large team of experts across many disciplines. Ultimately, it was a success, and Bryde spent the next 40 days recovering in hospital.
While his love for Halloween hasn’t wavered — in fact, Bryde and his wife’s annual Halloween bash has raised thousands of dollars for cancer research at our hospital and for the Canadian Neuroendocrine Tumor Society — it’s his triumphant recovery and comeback that needs to be celebrated. Since his surgery, he’s lived life to the fullest: climbing some of the world’s most famous mountains, getting married, and becoming a dad.
“When I arrived at the Civic, I was hemorrhaging. I thought my life might be ending before I had the chance to fully live it. But The Ottawa Hospital saved me, and when my son was born at the Civic in 2020, it was an incredible full circle moment for me.”
His journey also inspired his wife to become a doctor and is now a medical student. The hospital went from a place of pain for Bryde to a place of joy after the birth of his son.
