Rita Hébert

Orphan diseases were always a part of Rita’s life. She was born with an extremely rare type of heart-lung malformation known as scimitar syndrome, which unfortunately led to the development of her pulmonary hypertension. Despite this, her personal motto was always “not to let the things she couldn’t do prevent her from doing the things she could.” Rita was instrumental in organizing the initial PH Walk at the Jewish General Hospital, a fundraiser that has now run annually for seven consecutive years during November Awareness Month. She worked closely with the PH clinic to organize patient support group meetings regularly throughout the year, gaging patient response to the topics that were the most sought after and of interest for discussion. And through her continued hard work and commitment to the community, Rita became an essential member of both PHA Canada and Quebec’s provincial patient association, Fondation HTAPQ.

Rita was a kind and generous individual who was dedicated to her work with the PH community. She wanted the absolute best for her fellow patients and worked tirelessly to raise awareness of PH. Rita was always there for her fellow community members and her work running patient support groups was invaluable to her peers. She served as a conduit between her PH clinic and their patients, volunteering countless hours to helping the clinic improve their ability to provide support to patients.

Rita was a fantastic asset both to PHA Canada and Fondation HTAPQ and the support that she provided to the PH community is still apparent today. She inspired other members of the community with her work ethic and passion. Through the incredible support she provided to her community, she improved the lives of countless PH patients all across Canada. We appreciate all the work that Rita did for the PH community and will forever be grateful for the impact she made on our PHamily.