Origins of the Heart of Champions Tournament

Like many families, who rely on the care and compassion of the healthcare professionals at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the Irvine family wanted to give thanks to CHEO’s Cardiology Department for saving their son Logan’s life.

Logan was born with a congenital heart defect known as ‘Tetralogy of Fallot.’ This condition normally involves four abnormalities in the heart (pulmonary stenosis, VSD (a hole in the heart), overriding aorta and enlargening of the muscle around the right ventricle). In Logan’s case, he was completely missing the pulmonary valve and artery. He underwent surgery at one week of age (resulting in his two month stay at CHEO’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, followed by a 10-hour open heart surgery in April, 2009. Logan will require subsequent heart surgeries as he grows to replace his pulmonary valve.

The idea for the Heart of Champions Golf Tournament was developed by the Irvine’s close friends Chris Tymofichuk (Tournament Director) and Jennifer Patton. Monies raised through the tournament will be used to bring additional support services and comfort to CHEO’s cardiac patients and their families.

The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

CHEO is an academic pediatric hospital affiliated with the University of Ottawa, with a mandate for care, research and teaching. Over the past thirty years, CHEO has established itself as a world-class academic health sciences centre providing leading-edge treatment, diagnostic and laboratory services for children and youth aged 0 to 18 years.
The Department of Cardiology is comprised of six full-time pediatric cardiologists and a team of health-care professionals who provide a range of diagnostic and cardiac treatment services including fetal cardiology consultations. The cardiac team also performs outreach clinics to Iqaluit up to twice a year.