FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 28, 2014
TRI-CITIES
celebrates 25 years
10
GETTING READY
The Riverside Rapids prepare for the senior girls B.C. championships
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thenownews.com
THE NOW
FESTIVAL DU BOIS Coquitlam’s multicultural showcase
Serving COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY, ANMORE and BELCARRA since 1984
OIL SPILL RESPONSE
Team lacks home base on the water NEWS 4
Silver Alert program proposed
NEWS 5
Erratic driver in cuffs after 911 calls NEWS 7
From the heart
Musician releases debut
PHOTO BY LISA KING
ARTS 20
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Marking a milestone
POCO MAN B.C.’S 400TH HEART TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT Jeremy DEUTSCH jdeutsch@thenownews.com There aren’t many people who can say they’ve literally held their heart in their hand. Marian Mazurek can. The Port Coquitlam resident had heart problems dating back to 1999, more recently due to a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Each year, daily tasks would get harder and harder for the 62-year-old elevator repairman. It meant Mazurek needed a new ticker. So last summer, his name went onto a heart transplant wait-list. In December, Mazurek got the call from doctors. A match had been found. He was admitted to St. Paul’s Hospital on a Wednesday at 6 p.m. A couple of hours later he was on the operating table in the hands of Dr. Ansen Cheung. Six hours after that, the transplant was complete. Mazurek had a new heart and incidentally became the 400th transplant recipient in B.C. history. “I was very lucky,” he told the Tri-Cities NOW. It turned out his heart was three times larger than normal, likely due to genetic factors. He saw it with his own eyes when his doctor put his old heart in his hand following the procedure. “It’s kind of scary what you see,” he said, referring to the size of the old heart. “It’s not every day you can look at your organs.” Interestingly, what wasn’t scary for Mazurek was the procedure. He said he was never really afraid, telling his doctors he didn’t have much to lose. He was also in good hands, and is quick to CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
British Columbia Christian Academy A Tri-City Pre K-12 Christian Education Alternative Since 1992
Kindergarten Open House
You are invited to our Kindergarten Open House from 9:00am – 10:30am on March 10th. Please RSVP.
www.bcchristianacademy.ca 604-641-8426
CHUNG CHOW/NOW
Marian Mazurek’s old heart was three times its normal size.
1019 FERWOOD AVENUE, PORT COQUITLAM