In January of 2024, Prince George, B.C.’s Kris Yip died at the age of 47. Kris had been a cyclist since his teens—he was even junior national criterium champion in 1993. He went on and raced for the national team as a senior, too.
His competitive drive stayed with him well into his 40s. In 2022, he qualified to represent Canada at the UCI esports world championships.
His death touched the Prince George and online racing communities. Memorial rides were organized, and tributes flowed in. Now, over two years later, his sister Kim Brochu said that she has finally found the strength to write an open letter about his death, in the hopes that awareness will prevent another athlete from dying because of heart disease. “Grief is exhausting, and putting these words together required energy, focus, and a determination I didn’t always have. But I had to do it—for Kris, and for every athlete who believes fitness alone protects them from heart disease,” she said.
This letter was sent to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, the B.C. Ministry of Health, the College of Physicians & Surgeons of B.C., and politicians. She said that all she can do now is tell Kris’s story and hope that organizations will finally take the heart health of athletes seriously.
Open letter from Kim Brochu
I am writing to urge your organization to include athletes and physically active individuals in your coronary artery disease (CAD) awareness campaigns. This demographic is often overlooked by the healthcare system and heart health initiatives, and because of this, lives are being lost.
My name is Kim Brochu, and my world was shattered when my brother, Kris Yip, died due to cardiac arrest on January 18, 2023, at just 47 years old. He was found the following day, still suspended from his indoor bike—approximately 19 hours after completing a training ride. The phone call informing me of his death is seared into my memory. I screamed, I sobbed, I refused to believe it. How could this be real? How could a lifelong athlete—someone who ate well, never smoked or drank, and did everything “right” according to current health campaigns—die so suddenly?
Kris was an elite athlete, competing in cycling since the age of 15 and remaining a sponsored rider until his death. His accomplishments were many and remarkable: junior national criterium champion (1993), 3rd overall and 1st in his age category at the Whistler GranFondo (2022), and a member of Team Canada at the UCI cycling esports world championships (2022), to name a few. Yet, despite his extraordinary talent, Kris was different from many elite athletes—he had no ego. He never boasted about his achievements, always choosing instead to uplift his teammates and fellow cyclists. Even as his sister, I had to press him for race results because he was more interested in celebrating others’ successes. He welcomed everyone—regardless of fitness level—into his world of cycling, skiing, and skating, always prioritizing fun, inclusion, and camaraderie.
To me, Kris wasn’t just my younger brother; he was someone I looked up to. He had an effortless way of making friends, a zest for adventure, an infectious energy, and a cheeky sense of humor. Watching him race as a teenager in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s remains one of my greatest joys. Our family traveled across BC for his competitions, creating cherished memories that now feel even more precious.
I firmly believe Kris would still be here if the medical system and heart health campaigns recognized that CAD does not solely affect those with traditional risk factors like smoking, obesity, and inactivity. While I understand that these groups make up a significant portion of cases, excluding athletes and fit individuals from awareness efforts is a fatal oversight.
As Kris’s executor, I obtained his medical records and autopsy report. His official cause of death was “coronary artery atherosclerosis with acute thrombosis.” The findings included:
- Left anterior descending artery, mid: 50 per cent stenosis
- Right coronary artery, proximal: 75 per cent stenosis with an occlusive thrombus
- Right coronary artery, mid: Additional plaque presence
Beyond these coronary findings, Kris was described as “lean and muscular,” with all other systems appearing normal—an image that contradicts public perceptions of CAD.
Yet Kris did have warning signs. On February 3, 2012, he visited his doctor about an unrelated issue, during which his 10-minute blood pressure measured 164/93—a concerning result. He disclosed that our father had suffered a heart attack and received a coronary stent earlier that year at age 59. The doctor noted our father’s “unhealthy lifestyle” but dismissed Kris as a “very healthy young man with no other cardiac risk factors” due to his athleticism. No blood work was ordered. No follow-up was scheduled. His high blood pressure and family history—two critical risk factors for CAD—were ignored simply because he was fit.
I am haunted by this oversight. Had Kris been overweight or inactive, I believe he would have been flagged for further testing. Instead, his athleticism gave both him and his doctor a false sense of security.
Kris deserved more—more time as a father, son, brother, friend, and teammate. He deserved a healthcare system that saw beyond outdated stereotypes. Instead, he died suddenly, without warning or a second chance, alone. My family and I deserved more too—more time with him, more memories, more laughter. I had imagined us growing old together, cheering him on as an 80-year-old masters competitor. Now, I am left with an unimaginable void.
In the two years since Kris’s passing, I have dedicated myself to learning about CAD in athletes. I have discovered that CAD is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in athletes over 35, and that, tragically, the first symptom is often the fatal event. When I asked the coroner how Kris could ride at such a high intensity without symptoms, I was told: “He compensated until he didn’t.” Kris’s disease was far more advanced than expected for his age. Yet no one saw it—because no one was looking.
Despite this, the resources for athletes remain virtually nonexistent. Searching “athletes” on the Heart & Stroke website yields only two results—both recipes. Searching “family history” provides little useful information beyond acknowledging that it’s an unchangeable risk factor. I have also searched for information on Health Link BC, a widely used resource for health guidance, and was deeply disappointed to find that it offers no relevant or helpful information for athletes regarding coronary artery disease. When looking up CAD risk factors, the focus remains on traditional indicators such as smoking, high cholesterol, and sedentary lifestyles—factors that do not account for the reality that fit, active individuals can also be at serious risk. There is no mention of the importance of screening in athletes, the role of family history, or the warning signs that may present differently in highly trained individuals. There is no meaningful guidance, no outreach, no campaign. The absence of these resources sends the dangerous message that athletes are immune to CAD.
If major health resources like the Heart & Stroke Foundation and Health Link BC fail to acknowledge and educate this population, how can athletes be expected to advocate for their own heart health? The lack of accessible, athlete-specific guidance is not just an oversight—it is a failure that is costing lives.
There is a growing body of research highlighting the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in male athletes over 35 years of age, challenging the assumption that high levels of fitness equate to immunity from heart disease. Numerous studies have shown that endurance athletes, despite their exceptional cardiovascular fitness, can develop significant atherosclerosis, often without warning signs until a major cardiac event occurs.
Emerging research is also exploring the relationship between long-term high-intensity training and the development of CAD. While regular exercise is widely known to benefit heart health, studies suggest that excessive endurance training may contribute to increased coronary artery calcification and plaque formation. This does not mean that exercise is harmful—it reinforces the need for a more nuanced approach to cardiac health in athletes, where routine screening and early detection are prioritized alongside training and recovery strategies.
Despite this growing evidence, heart health campaigns continue to focus almost exclusively on traditional risk factors, leaving active individuals unaware of their potential vulnerability. It is imperative that organizations like yours integrate these findings into education, awareness, and screening recommendations to protect those who dedicate their lives to sport and physical fitness.
As a grieving sister, as a daughter watching her mother’s light fade, as an aunt heartbroken for two young men left without their father, I urge you to change this.