There is an immediate warmth to Malka Rosenbaum.
She is thoughtful, engaging and generous with her reflections — the kind of person whose stories often circle back to family, gratitude and care for others.
Malka grew up in Toronto as an only child. She married early in life — she and her husband will celebrate 57 years together this December — and became a teacher, a role that suited her natural curiosity and instinct to help others understand the world around them. She left teaching when she had children, choosing instead to focus on raising her family, a decision that brought her tremendous joy.
As a wife, mother of three and grandmother of six, Malka has watched relationships grow across generations. One of her greatest joys has been seeing her children interact with one another and, now, seeing that same spirit of connection reflected in her grandchildren.
That lifelong connection to family, learning and care is part of what makes her MedicAlert story so meaningful.
“I always knew about MedicAlert,” Malka says. “It was something I recognized, something that was always there. But I never really thought about it for myself until after my heart surgery.”
For years, Malka knew she had a heart murmur. What she did not know was why.
“I had been active all my life, but I would get winded going up stairs or walking uphill,” she says. “It wasn’t until my doctor recommended an echocardiogram that we discovered the bicuspid aortic valve.”
At first, Malka was told to monitor the congenital condition. Eventually, she made the decision to have open heart surgery to replace the valve.
Her care brought her to University Health Network in Toronto, under the care of cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Tirone David and the cardiac team. When Malka speaks about Dr. David, her respect is unmistakable.
“I have such respect for Dr. David and the team at UHN,” Malka says. “When you are facing something as complex as heart surgery, it means everything to know you are in such capable hands.”
The surgery addressed one challenge, but Malka’s cardiac story became more complex. A small percentage of people with bicuspid aortic valve disease also require a pacemaker. Malka became one of them.
Her family’s experience with cardiac care did not end there. Her husband also underwent cardiac surgery to correct an aortic aneurysm. Alongside those cardiac realities, Malka’s family manages a number of allergies — another reminder that health information is often layered, personal and not always visible to others.
After Malka’s surgery, her daughter encouraged her to get MedicAlert.
“My daughter was the one who said, ‘You should have MedicAlert,’” Malka says. “She wanted that extra layer of protection for me. It came from a place of love.”
The suggestion was practical, protective and rooted in care. Her daughter wanted to know that if something happened, Malka would not have to rely on memory, circumstance or a stranger’s best guess. Her essential health information would be available when it mattered.
For Malka, MedicAlert became more than an ID. It became a bridge between her health story and the people who might one day need to know it.
“You can look perfectly fine on the outside, but there can be so much happening that people don’t see,” she says. “In an emergency, that information matters.”
As a former teacher, Malka understands the power of learning — not only in classrooms, but in communities. That is one of the reasons she responded so enthusiastically to MedicAlert’s direct integration with 9-1-1 dispatch systems.
“Knowing MedicAlert is connected directly to 9-1-1 is very reassuring,” Malka says. “It means the information is there before people even arrive to help.”
She is equally supportive of MedicAlert’s Good Samaritan Training Program, which helps community members learn where to look for a MedicAlert ID and what to do if they encounter someone in medical distress.
“People want to help, but they need to know what to look for and what to do,” she says. “Teaching people to recognize a MedicAlert ID is so important. It gives them a way to move from concern to action.”
That belief in learning also extends to children. During our conversation, Malka spoke warmly about the importance of helping children understand their own medical conditions and developing empathy for others.
“Children need to learn how to speak up for themselves, but they also need to learn empathy for others,” she says. “Not every condition is visible. My youngest grandson had a friend with celiac disease, and it was very difficult to manage, but my grandson took the time to learn. It made me think about how important it is for children to understand what others may be dealing with.”
It is a lesson that connects beautifully to Malka’s own story.
She spent part of her life as a teacher. She raised children. She watched grandchildren grow. And through her own cardiac experience, she came to see MedicAlert not only as a protection for herself, but as part of a much larger idea: people are safer when communities understand how to help.
“Knowledge is power,” she says. “The more people know, the better they can respond.”
And in a medical emergency, that knowledge can make all the difference.
Are you an individual with a chronic medical condition? Learn more about how MedicAlert can provide peace of mind, protection, and support at medicalert.ca/signup or call 1-800-668-1507 today.
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