Jordan Boyd heart disease clinic unveiled
QEII facility honours legacy of late teen hockey player
“The Jordan Boyd Inherited Heart Disease Clinic allows us to continue establishing a legacy for our son, carry on his compassion and caring for others, and fulfil a promise that he will not be forgotten.” Stephen Boyd
The Jordan Boyd Inherited Heart Disease Clinic was unveiled at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.
The clinic’s new name is a tribute to the late Jordan Boyd; a 16-year-old Bedford hockey player who died in 2013 due to an undiagnosed inherited heart condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
Members of Jordan’s family and health-care providers gathered for the official ceremony on Thursday, on what would have been Jordan’s 27th birthday.
For over a decade, the Boyd family has been on a mission to help prevent sudden death from cardiac arrest. To date, they’ve raised $1.2 million net – in partnership with the QEII Foundation – funding inherited heart disease research at the same QEII clinic now named in Jordan’s honour.
“The Jordan Boyd Inherited Heart Disease Clinic allows us to continue establishing a legacy for our son, carry on his compassion and caring for others, and fulfil a promise that he will not be forgotten,” said Stephen Boyd, Jordan’s father, in a news release.
“(Thursday’s) unveiling is such a proud moment for our family and for everyone who has supported us and continues to support us in this journey.”
That journey has included community events like the Jordan Boyd Celebrity Hockey Challenge and Jordan Boyd Celebrity Golf Challenge.
“Without a doubt, the Boyd family has moved the needle in inherited heart disease research,” said Dr. Martin Gardner, cardiologist and founder of the clinic, in the release.
Gardner said the clinic is a national leader and plays an instrumental role in screening, monitoring and treating Maritime families living with known or suspected inherited heart conditions.
“Lives will be changed and continue to be saved in the Jordan Boyd Inherited Heart Disease Clinic, which is an incredible tribute to our son and brother,” says Stephen, on behalf of the family. “Jordan would be humbled and yet proud to see this.”