Tom Ormsby, near his home in Hammond Plains, N.S., says he appreciates everything more after a near-death experience.Carolina Andrade/The Globe and Mail
In July 2021, Tom Ormsby started feeling slightly “off.” The Halifax-based communications professional assumed he’d contracted COVID-19 for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020, so he went to a clinic to get tested.
His illness turned out to be something much worse.
Mr. Ormsby ended up spending 83 days in the hospital – including a month in a coma and 41 days on life support – after suffering congestive heart failure. On two occasions, his family was told to say goodbye because it was likely he wouldn’t survive.
More than three years later, Mr. Ormsby, 63, has recovered and is back working in the public relations and communications career he loves. Recently, he started his own consulting business.
In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. Here, we talk to Mr. Ormsby about his near-death experience and outlook on work and life:
Describe that day in July 2021 when you suddenly felt ill.
I went to a clinic for a COVID test and the nurse checked my vitals. She separated me from the other patients and a second nurse came in to [examine me]. Then they phoned a doctor. I assumed this meant I had COVID. I found out later that I had been presenting with blue lips and fingers, [meaning] my blood was not getting enough oxygen. The medical staff called an ambulance to take me to the hospital, but I had my wife drive me to the hospital instead.
I walked into the emergency room and stood in line to be seen. When it was my turn, the nurse saw the referral and checked my vitals again. Suddenly, a team of doctors and nurses came running out and grabbed me, hustled me down the hall, put me into a bed and started connecting me to monitors and oxygen. I was going downhill very fast. They told my wife to call all nearby family members to come and say goodbye before I went into a coma. It turned out I had congestive heart failure and double pneumonia.
How long were you in the hospital?
I was in a coma for a month. My liver and kidneys were failing, and I developed sepsis. I also had a series of mini-strokes. I was in the intensive care unit for 63 days. I had surgery, which went well, but then I crashed again after my lungs wouldn’t restart. My family was called in and told to say their goodbyes again, just in case. Even if I did ever open my eyes again, the doctors told my family that I may require assisted living for the rest of my life.
Why do you think you survived?
Apparently, 90 per cent of people who go through what I did don’t make it. My doctors told me and my family that what likely helped to save me was my healthy lifestyle. I exercised regularly and avoided caffeine, sugar, salt and fatty foods. Also, if I hadn’t gone to the medical clinic that day, I might not be here today to tell this story. I feel very lucky.
Tom Ormsby with his wife Sharon and dog Jake.Carolina Andrade/The Globe and Mail
What was your recovery like?
It was brutal for a few reasons. First, when I did wake up, I had no idea what had happened to me. If someone told me I was hit by a bus or thrown off a cliff, I would have believed them. I also had no idea what my capacity was. At first, I had to blink to communicate. That’s how decommissioned I was. I was in the hospital for 83 days in total and then recovered at home for about a year. I had no idea what was in front of me or what I’d be able to do. I had to learn to feed myself again. I lost 51 pounds lying in that hospital bed and had to go through rehabilitation to gain back my muscle and strength.
How are you feeling now?
I’d say that I’m fully recovered now. I do have 32 scars on my body from the surgeries and other treatments I needed to stay alive. Still, the physical recovery is just part of it. The mental recovery is also tough. I spent a lot of time in the hospital, seeing my family crying around me and wondering if I was going to make it. I’m currently writing a book on the experience. It has helped me process what happened and determine what I want to do next.
Some people who go through a near-death experience would choose to retire. Why did you go back to work?
I enjoy my work. It’s stimulating. I have more to offer. Also, when I stop working, it will be on my terms. Not everyone gets that opportunity. For years, people told me I should hang out my own shingle and I thought, ‘There’s no better time than now.’
Starting my own business has been a learning curve. After being a very senior executive for decades, this was my first attempt at running my own shop, building product and service offerings, sourcing clients, pitching proposals. Those were the type of challenges I faced when starting from scratch, while also trying to convince people I was fully recovered and fit to take on these jobs. Now, I feel consulting is a nice balance for where I am at this stage in my life and career.
Has your outlook on life changed after going through this experience?
I get that question a lot. I’ve become a much more empathetic person. This experience has also taught me the value of living a healthy lifestyle. I’m not preaching that people should go to the gym five days a week, but eating healthy and being physically active is really important. What I’ve gone through has helped others modify their lifestyle a bit – or at least, I hope it has. I felt blessed in my life before this happened, and I feel it even more today. I appreciate everything more now. Every moment you have with someone is precious; that’s not lost on me.