Editor:
A huge shoutout of gratitude to the staff at Sechelt Hospital.
I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the competent medical staff in the emergency department at Sechelt Hospital. I would first like to thank the first responders who quickly and efficiently took me to the ER around 4 p.m. on Sept. 5. There, I was quickly assessed by Dr. Simon Resnick, hooked up to a cardiac monitor and watched for several hours while blood work was taken and EKGs were performed. At approximately 3:30 a.m. my heart was beating erratically as the pulse continued to slow to dangerously low levels. Dr. Brigette Evans and fantastic nurses sprang into action and powerful medication was given intravenously which began to stabilize the heart rhythm. I was helicoptered to Lions Gate Hospital where I received a pacemaker. As a former cardiac nurse, I had the privilege to witness the respectful, efficient and highly competent teamwork performed in LG emergency. It’s so heartening to observe that despite the unbelievable stress our medical system has endured, there still exists such dedicated, competent staff in our hospitals. I would especially like to thank and acknowledge my deepest gratitude to Dr. Ron Mundy, my family physician of 26 years, for his consistently sensitive, medically astute care. He was at my bedside that infamous Wednesday morning reassuring me and even apologizing that it took that long to receive the treatment he knew I needed months earlier.
It’s a fact that wait times are too long. This puts an extra burden on the staff and system as our individual conditions continue to deteriorate. However, I feel nothing but gratitude towards the professionals who in their separate roles come together to keep our system running as efficiently as it does. Thank you!
Dr. Toni Stevens, Sechelt
