Nunavut couple return home after 13 months away for heart transplant

A young couple returned to their home in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, this week after spending 13 months away for medical treatment.

Uviluq Naukatsik needed to go to Ottawa to be treated for an enlarged heart, and her fiancé John Paul Ayaruak said he never left her side.

"It's been a long haul, it's been hard times, but we've gone through it and I've been pushing her, just to make her feel better," Ayaruak said.

Naukatsik's health problems started soon after the birth of their youngest child last July.

Ayaruak said they went to Winnipeg for weeks, and back home again, until ultimately her condition worsened and the couple had to go to Ottawa for treatment.

At one point, Naukatsik was sedated for two-and-a-half months, but Ayaruak said he never considered leaving.

"She's the love of my life and I'm not going to lose her," he said.

"Nurses and doctors would ask me if I wanted to go home and I would tell them 'I'm not going to leave her side. She has nobody but me.'"

In March, Naukatsik received a new heart.

"Although it was hard for me to see her being like that, I kept praying and praying," Ayaruak said.

"I've been with her since day one since she got sick and I've never left her sight."

Despite a tough recovery period, Ayaruak said he never lost hope.

This week, the couple was finally able to leave Ottawa and head home. Naukatsik said she does not have big plans following their return, because she still needs to use a walker and wheelchair. 

Ayaruak and Naukatsik said they are excited to see their three children.

"They can't wait to see us, they're really happy," Ayaruak said.

Ayaruak said the plan now is to be a whole family again.