Dr. Sherryn Roth and patient Rick Fitchett

Patient’s compliment truly comes from the heart

By the time Cardiologist Dr. Sherryn Roth met 52-year old Rick Fitchett in CCU, she knew he was very close to death. That was three years ago. Today, Rick is a different man with an incredible story to tell about survival, courage, and the importance of compliance.

He credits his improved health to Dr. Roth and The Scarborough Hospital, and speaks passionately about the excellent care he received at the hands of caregivers in several departments here.

“Dr. Roth is instrumental in me being here today,” Rick states. “She has given me three years that I probably wouldn’t have had. My quality of life has increased substantially, my activity level is up, and I’m taking fewer meds now.”

“When I met Rick, he was very sick. He was dying,” says Dr. Roth. “He was a big man and he wasn’t looking after himself. But he was bright, and was driven to do well. All I did was tell him the prognosis, what his alternatives were (that there was no surgery to fix his heart), and that he would have to cooperate with medication and lifestyle changes or suffer the consequences.”

A Cardiologist at TSH since 1976, Dr. Roth has prescribed a similar regimen to many patients as she practices in one of the most demanding of medical specialties. It has meant constant upgrading and re-training through the years, an approach to lifelong learning that she thrives on.

“At TSH, we have been consistently ahead of the game (in cardiac health),” she explains, adding she started TSH’s non-invasive cardiac testing program by finding a community service group to help fund the purchase of the hospital’s first treadmill.

After practicing cardiology for more than three decades, Dr. Roth says, “I love what I do. Nothing makes me happier than to see a patient who arrives at the hospital on death’s doorstep only to walk to the elevator to go home.

“At one point, I thought about leaving the hospital and just doing office work. But after trying it for three months, I was so bored,” she quips. “I enjoy working in the ER, and helping people with preventive measures in cardiac testing. I find it very rewarding.”

An avid sailor, Dr. Roth and her husband enjoy spending their evenings in the summer on their sailboat in Lake Ontario.