As a long-time journalist in a Quebec newsroom, I’ve witnessed my share of healthcare disaster stories – from people almost dying while waiting to be seen in emergency wait rooms, to people told there was nothing wrong with them only to find out six months later they have a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. But recently, our family saw how our hospital system can still work when it has to.
Three months ago, my mother fell and hit her head on the front steps of her Châteauguay home. Fortunately, it was Mother’s Day, and my brother and sister-in-law were with her and quickly called 911.
From the moment the ambulance technicians arrived, everything worked. She was evaluated and it was decided that she should be brought to the Montreal General Hospital where they have an emergency trauma unit. After her evaluation, we were escorted to the ICU where she had already been intubated. Despite head trauma, a collapsed lung, a fractured sacrum, and some very anxious moments when her blood pressure dropped dangerously low, we were allowed to stay by her side. We were allowed to ask questions and see every bit of treatment that she was given up close – all of it without a hint of annoyance or frustration by the professionals who were taking care of her.
She made it out of the ICU just five days later and was put in a brain trauma unit where she was further treated for another twelve days, at no charge. After her hospital stay, she was transferred to a rehab facility where she received therapies and round-the-clock care for over a month – all of it, again, without any charge – before she was able to return home.
Two weeks ago, we were scheduled for an over hour-long debrief on Zoom with the entire team that had cared for her in the ICU. They explained everything that had happened to Mom from her arrival to discharge, since she had no memory of any of it. My brother and I, my mother, and our cousin who had come from Europe to be with her upon her return home, were impressed. We had not only witnessed the incredible dedication of so many healthcare professionals working in unison, but we too felt respected and treated like we were a part of our mom’s recovery team.
They, in turn, were impressed with Mom’s amazing recovery, given her age and that her first words when she awoke were “Mother’s Day.” They had literally brought our usually active and lively 88-year-old mother back to us, and not once did anyone in the chain of care ever suggest that her life and quality of life weren’t worth fighting for.
After all the negative stories about our healthcare system, seeing it work so beautifully gave us hope. The public healthcare system, for all its faults, can still work amazingly well. I’m convinced we must all fight to keep it so it’s there when we need it. A life is a life. And our hospital system and the people in it saved our mom’s life when it most counted. We can’t thank it, and them, enough.
Caroline Van Vlaardingen
CTV Montreal News Anchor