Our health care system is killing my sister.
My sister was hospitalized in the summer due to her failing heart. Abbotsford hospital kept her for 26 days in the cardiac department. She was being given many medications to keep her alive.
She had triple heart bypasss surgery 12 years ago, and now faces another surgery. Her heart surgeon called her in for an appointment this past December. The surgeon booked the surgery for this past January; however, as it got close to the date, she was called and told she had been bumped. She was rebooked for Feb. 18. Last week she had the pre-op appointment and it appeared that everything was on schedule.
Then my sister was called and again told she had been bumped until March 2.
Every day that passes, my sister gets sicker. She cannot breathe and has to use her inhaler many times a day, her body is swelling from her heart failing. She can’t do anything or go anywhere, except sit at home and wait to die.
My sister has been terrified ever since she left the hospital back in the summer.
I keep trying to give her hope and tell her to be strong, but the truth is, that I am losing hope in a system that just doesn’t care about sick people. I would like to know who is actually making these decisions, and making them so lightly, with no regard for all the very sick people who desperately need these life-saving surgeries. This is so not right.
Deborah Salter, Abbotsford
