Our donor Alan says he is a “hospital man.” Until earlier in 2022, Alan lived in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) but is now a proud Niagara resident and has recently become a monthly donor to the Niagara Health Foundation. He supports many causes with his donations, but his local hospital has always been a part of that. “My wife Maureen has had many, many surgeries; I myself had a heart attack many years ago. Supporting our hospitals means a lot to me.” After his heart attack, Alan got so involved with the cardiac division at the Newmarket hospital where he had his rehab that he even started volunteering there once he was doing better.

He knew he would be involved with local healthcare again in some capacity after moving to Niagara, but he couldn’t have predicted quite how soon that day would come. “Within two days of us moving here, my wife had a fall and broke her hip in a couple of places.” His “bionic wife,” as he jokingly calls her, is unfortunately very familiar with surgeries, having had 11 back surgeries, two hip surgeries and a knee surgery over the past few years. However, the way the Niagara Health team looked after her was a new experience. “Her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Robert, was just wonderful. And the entire team was so nice. It was a major change from most of our experiences at the GTA hospitals. Everybody was comforting, and we appreciated it so much.” After having surgery at the St. Catharines hospital, Maureen went to the Port Colborne hospital for rehabilitation, where she was again met with kindness and compassion. “We are very thankful for how nice everybody was throughout our experience at Niagara Health. Everybody has a smile on their face, and that makes such a difference.”

Grateful for his wife’s care, Alan became a monthly donor to the Niagara Health Foundation. “I understand that the healthcare system is struggling and that there are many financial challenges, so I want to do as much as I personally can to help. It’s a cause that is close to my heart.”