Bassit Nawaz, 24, of Edmonton, always took care of himself. He ate well. Played a lot of sports – his favourites were hockey, rugby and volleyball.

Just after he turned 21, he and a few friends planned a trip to California. To get “beach-ready”, Bassit started lifting weights.

Their plans took a turn when he started feeling sick. Upset stomach. Vomiting. He said he felt like he was going into shock. One morning, his mom asked him why his lips were turning blue. He went to the nearest hospital, where he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. He was then sent to the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, where he was told that the left side of his heart was functioning at a life-threatening low 6%.

Two months later, he left the Maz with a mechanical device called an L-VAD that served the role of the left side of his heart. Last year, he went back to the Maz for successful heart transplant surgery.

Today he is studying at NAIT to become a flight paramedic, and is feeling “wonderful”.