Richard’s Letter
We are so grateful for our donor, Richard, who made a Gift of Gratitude a few weeks ago to thank his healthcare team for taking such good care of him during a recent hospital admission. Thank you for your gift and for giving back to our local hospitals, Richard. Beyond donating, Richard took the time to share a note of gratitude with our Patient Relations team, and today, he is sharing it with you:
Recently, on November 15, 2023, I experienced a serious seizure while at my home. My wife found me in front of the TV, already unconscious, and shortly thereafter I went into convulsions. She called 911 and emergency services personnel including fire and ambulance were at my home within a number of minutes.
I was rushed to the St. Catharines Hospital by ambulance and was initially treated in the Emergency Department. I received ongoing treatment and remained in that area, unconscious for over 30 hours. My first memory upon regaining consciousness in a quiet section of the Emerg, was of the recognition that I was in a hospital, wondering why I was in a hospital, and wondering why I was surrounded by my children. They do not live in St Catharines or anywhere nearby.
I have never had a seizure before. I have no medical conditions that I am aware of and other than this recent unexplained event I have never been admitted to a hospital before. I spent eight days in your care ( my room was 2A-16, in the 2A1A.035 area ) before being discharged. The medical professionals had initially decided to keep me in for a longer time but then as test results started to come back, the need for my continued stay diminished.
I wanted to express my gratitude for the excellent care I received during each day of my stay there. Every staff member, from the doctors, nurses, and other specialists, to all of the hospital support staff, were thoughtful, accommodating, personable, and genuinely engaged in their duties. I was impressed and pleased with the professionalism and dedication of everyone in your facility. My family told me later that they were also very impressed with and grateful for the care provided by the staff in the Emerg. As I noted earlier, I was unconscious and have no recollection of that time. However, despite not ever having been admitted to hospital in the past, I have a clear foundation to base my assessment on.
For the past few years, my wife and I have lived in St Catharines but earlier we lived in the GTA. I was a police officer in Toronto for over three decades, beginning in 1987 and retiring in 2019. For the first 14 years of my career I worked in 31 Division, in the Jane and Finch area. While working on the road in uniform and responding to radio calls, I attended the York Finch hospital (now Humber River Health – Finch Campus) on a regular basis, sometimes daily, on calls involving but not limited to shootings, stabbings, domestic assaults, serious traffic collisions, and other medical emergencies. To a lesser extent I also spent much time at the Humber Hospital (now Humber River Health – Church Campus) and then later in my career, my duties often required my attendance at Sunnybrook hospital and some others. I was always impressed during my time on the job with the excellent service that the hospital staff provided to persons who required medical assistance.
I saw nothing during my recent unplanned hospital stay here that changed my opinion about the dedication and professionalism of the hospital staff today. Despite the negative media attention our health care professionals sometimes receive, they constantly give of themselves to look after those in need. The personnel at your hospital demonstrated that daily through their attention for me and every other patient in the area I was in. The level of care that all of the staff at your facility provided was excellent.
Please accept my sincerest thanks for all of the care that you gave to me and for the support you gave to my family at the same time. I know that they were the ones who were much more worried and in need of that support. As for me, I could see that I was in good hands.
Sincerely
Richard H
Richard’s Letter
We are so grateful for our donor, Richard, who made a Gift of Gratitude a few weeks ago to thank his healthcare team for taking such good care of him during a recent hospital admission. Thank you for your gift and for giving back to our local hospitals, Richard. Beyond donating, Richard took the time to share a note of gratitude with our Patient Relations team, and today, he is sharing it with you:
Recently, on November 15, 2023, I experienced a serious seizure while at my home. My wife found me in front of the TV, already unconscious, and shortly thereafter I went into convulsions. She called 911 and emergency services personnel including fire and ambulance were at my home within a number of minutes.
I was rushed to the St. Catharines Hospital by ambulance and was initially treated in the Emergency Department. I received ongoing treatment and remained in that area, unconscious for over 30 hours. My first memory upon regaining consciousness in a quiet section of the Emerg, was of the recognition that I was in a hospital, wondering why I was in a hospital, and wondering why I was surrounded by my children. They do not live in St Catharines or anywhere nearby.
I have never had a seizure before. I have no medical conditions that I am aware of and other than this recent unexplained event I have never been admitted to a hospital before. I spent eight days in your care ( my room was 2A-16, in the 2A1A.035 area ) before being discharged. The medical professionals had initially decided to keep me in for a longer time but then as test results started to come back, the need for my continued stay diminished.
I wanted to express my gratitude for the excellent care I received during each day of my stay there. Every staff member, from the doctors, nurses, and other specialists, to all of the hospital support staff, were thoughtful, accommodating, personable, and genuinely engaged in their duties. I was impressed and pleased with the professionalism and dedication of everyone in your facility. My family told me later that they were also very impressed with and grateful for the care provided by the staff in the Emerg. As I noted earlier, I was unconscious and have no recollection of that time. However, despite not ever having been admitted to hospital in the past, I have a clear foundation to base my assessment on.
For the past few years, my wife and I have lived in St Catharines but earlier we lived in the GTA. I was a police officer in Toronto for over three decades, beginning in 1987 and retiring in 2019. For the first 14 years of my career I worked in 31 Division, in the Jane and Finch area. While working on the road in uniform and responding to radio calls, I attended the York Finch hospital (now Humber River Health – Finch Campus) on a regular basis, sometimes daily, on calls involving but not limited to shootings, stabbings, domestic assaults, serious traffic collisions, and other medical emergencies. To a lesser extent I also spent much time at the Humber Hospital (now Humber River Health – Church Campus) and then later in my career, my duties often required my attendance at Sunnybrook hospital and some others. I was always impressed during my time on the job with the excellent service that the hospital staff provided to persons who required medical assistance.
I saw nothing during my recent unplanned hospital stay here that changed my opinion about the dedication and professionalism of the hospital staff today. Despite the negative media attention our health care professionals sometimes receive, they constantly give of themselves to look after those in need. The personnel at your hospital demonstrated that daily through their attention for me and every other patient in the area I was in. The level of care that all of the staff at your facility provided was excellent.
Please accept my sincerest thanks for all of the care that you gave to me and for the support you gave to my family at the same time. I know that they were the ones who were much more worried and in need of that support. As for me, I could see that I was in good hands.
Sincerely
Richard H
