A Manitoba man is sharing his terrifying story of how he nearly died from a heart attack while waiting in a Winnipeg emergency room, unaware of the life-threatening condition developing inside his body.
The Panic Sets In
Haimana Romana of Manitoba described experiencing overwhelming panic as he moved between emergency room wait areas at a Winnipeg hospital, completely unaware that he was in the midst of a serious cardiac event. The incident occurred on November 23, 2025, when Romana initially sought medical attention for what he thought were routine symptoms.
"I was panicking," Romana recalled in his emotional account of the traumatic experience. He explained that he had switched between different waiting rooms within the emergency department, trying to find care for his worsening condition while medical staff remained unaware of the critical nature of his situation.
The Shocking Diagnosis
What began as a routine hospital visit turned into a life-or-death situation when medical professionals finally discovered Romana was actually suffering from a heart attack. The delayed diagnosis meant precious time had passed without proper treatment, putting the Manitoba man at serious risk.
The realization that he was having a cardiac event came as a complete shock to both Romana and the healthcare providers who had been monitoring his condition. The situation highlights the challenges patients can face in recognizing heart attack symptoms and the difficulties emergency rooms encounter in prioritizing cases amid overwhelming demand.
Broader Healthcare Context
Romana's harrowing experience comes amid ongoing concerns about emergency healthcare delivery across Canada. His story adds to growing discussions about wait times, triage systems, and patient outcomes in hospital emergency departments.
The near-fatal incident raises important questions about emergency room protocols and how heart attack symptoms can sometimes be missed or underestimated in busy healthcare settings. Medical experts emphasize that heart attack symptoms can vary widely between patients, making accurate and timely diagnosis particularly challenging in fast-paced emergency environments.
As Romana recovers from his ordeal, his story serves as a sobering reminder of the very real human consequences behind emergency room statistics and healthcare system challenges facing communities across Manitoba and throughout Canada.
