Patient stories
Patients at Grace Hospital are not statistics. They are not numbers, or nameless individuals. Our patients are people first. They and their families are unique and special, and their health care needs are equally unique and special.
Here are some stories from patients at Grace Hospital.
Erma
“They had a driven purpose. To help me walk again.”
Erma has osteoarthritis. Over the years, the condition had made the pain in her knees grow progressively worse.
The knee pain was beginning to slow her down. As the conductor of the Joyful Sound Gospel Singers, Erma has a very active and busy schedule. She needed a solution.
In consultation with her family doctor and an orthopedic surgeon, it was decided that the best course of action would be knee replacement surgery.
She had her surgery at The Grace. Like all knee replacement surgery patients, Erma required intensive Physiotherapy support immediately following surgery. It’s a tough process, but Erma was up for the challenge. She wanted her mobility back as soon as possible, so that she could return to her musical group.
“They took me from flat on my back to walking in no time. They motivated me in a nice and positive way. No pain, no gain. They’re such caring people.”
Erma is now back in fine form with the Joyful Sound Gospel Singers. The popular group tours the city doing concerts. Erma describes their sound as “old gospel hymns kicked up a notch”. The proceeds support Habitat for Humanity.
Robert
Clinical depression is a cruel and crippling affliction.
Robert knows first hand of the despair that comes with depression. He knows the darkness. That darkness steals even the simplest joy. Sometimes it steals the very will to live.
But Robert is emerging from the darkness, thanks to the help he is receiving on the ETU (Extended Treatment Unit) at Grace Hospital. He’s been with us for almost a month. We’re working with him to develop a medication therapy that helps with the chemical side of the disease. We’re also engaging Robert in individual and group therapy sessions, to help him cope. Hopefully soon, Robert will be well enough to leave and get on with his life. But even after he is discharged from the ETU, we’ll be here for him with weekly out-patient group therapy sessions.
Robert hasn’t always suffered from depression. It has only become a part of his life in the past five years. A successful business owner, Robert’s priority is to get better and to get back to work quickly. That’s our priority too. Our objective is to help give Robert his life back, and we’re working together with him to make that happen.
“They’re on top of my care,” Robert says. “They keep me fully in the loop. They don’t make independent decisions. I’m a part of the process, which is important to me. It’s a good environment to get better in.”
Neil
“It was their aggressive and relentless pursuit of a diagnosis that saved my life.”
Neil speaks highly of the ICU at The Grace. His odyssey began in late November of 2005 with what he originally thought was a bout of the flu. In a few short days things deteriorated and Neil and his wife went to the Emergency Department at The Grace. It soon became clear that he was not responding to the normal treatments for flu, dehydration and even for pneumonia.
He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, where the care team immediately began a complete battery of diagnostics, including two separate cardiac investigations which were conducted at St. Boniface General Hospital. Neil was quickly diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a potentially fatal condition in which the heart muscle is severely affected. The cardiomyopathy was brought on by a virus.
In Neil’s case, his heart was only functioning at 10%. Two days later, Neil was being transferred by LifeFlight-Air Ambulance to Edmonton to await an emergency heart transplant. Had he arrived any later, he would not have survived.
Neil’s surgery was a complete success. He and his wife spent close to three months in Edmonton after the transplant, some as an in-patient and most as an out-patient, on a daily regime of physiotherapy. Neil is back to his active, semi-retired lifestyle. In June of 2007 his heart biopsy and check up showed no signs of rejection!
“My wife and I wish to express our appreciation to the outstanding staff in the Grace Hospital Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit for their timely and caring intervention in our health crisis. Had they not been so exceptional and dedicated in their care, I would not be here today to express my appreciation.”
