Bob Sinclair
At 85-years-old, Robert (Bob) Sinclair, a retired widower and avid golfer who lives in the community of Green Briar, has always enjoyed good health and an active lifestyle, until he suddenly fell ill last August.
“I had been participating in the Men’s Golfing Championship that day and I just wasn’t feeling well,” recalls Bob. “I went home to lie down, thinking I was dehydrated, but I knew something was wrong.”
Later that night, Bob went to Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) and was treated for dehydration and released, but his symptoms quickly became worse.
“The next day when I woke up, I tried to stand up and I fell down. A friend drove me back to the hospital and my vital signs were off. I was admitted and over the next few days, my symptoms dramatically worsened. I was confused, my vision was blurry, I couldn’t walk anymore and I was starting to become paralyzed on my left side. By Monday, a team of doctors was consulting on my case, trying to figure out what could be causing me to become so sick. One of my doctors suggested a spinal tap, suspecting that it might be a virus that was attacking my body.”
“When the spinal tap results came back, I was shocked to learn that I had West Nile Disease, a potentially deadly virus that can attack your central nervous system. I was one of three confirmed cases of people with West Nile in Simcoe County last summer.”
Diagnosed with a rare Neuromuscular Manifestation of West Nile Virus Infection, Bob spent the next four weeks at SMH, slowly regaining his strength and starting rehabilitation to help him learn to walk again. “Being in bed for four weeks, I lost 25lbs and a lot of muscle tone. I was paralyzed on my left side and I had nerve damage in my right arm and shoulder. The physiotherapists came to meet with me several times a week and Cindy in particular always brightened my day.”
After four weeks, Bob was transferred to Riverwood Retirement Home to continue physical rehabilitation and after many weeks of hard work, Bob was finally able to go back home to Green Briar, last November.
“I’m not one who likes the spotlight, but if my story can help someone else then I’m happy to share,” continues Bob. “I would never have thought that I could get West Nile disease. I’ve spent 60 years at a cottage in the Muskoka’s and I’ve never once had a problem with a mosquito. But I had no idea, how much it could affect you.”
“Thankfully, I received exceptional care,” continues Bob, who has gone on to make a remarkable recovery and says he’s doing well today. “The staff at SMH did an excellent job. They really looked after me and they were so caring. They did everything they could to make sure I was comfortable.”
Today, not even a year later, Bob is back out on the golf course and busy travelling, grateful for the exceptional care he received.
Thank you for making incredible stories like Bob’s possible. Your support touches the lives of countless people like Bob in our community every year and helps us provide the very best care, close to home for everyone who needs us.
Crystal Hollingshead
Crystal Hollingshead’s reason for supporting the Stevenson Memorial Hospital Foundation (SMHF) is simple.
If it wasn’t for Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH), her son likely wouldn’t be here today. “The moment I am most thankful for was also the scariest moment of my life,” Crystal said.
Three years ago, her oldest son Cooper had a severe asthma attack in his sleep.
Crystal and her husband, Glen, were jolted out of bed by a loud, high-pitched scream and ran to Cooper’s room. Cooper was standing up, blue in the face. Suddenly he passed out on top of her. Crystal quickly realized he wasn’t breathing and started performing CPR, while Glen called 911. Cooper was rushed to SMH, where they took him straight into the Emergency Department’s trauma room. “I realized we needed to stay out of the way. It took quite a while for them to get him stabilized and intubated because he was vomiting.”
Diana Robinson
"Without SMH’s life-saving intervention, Owen wouldn’t have survived."
~ Diana Robinson, grateful patient and donor
Diana was coming home from work on May 30, 2007, when she saw an accident on Highway 27 just up the road from her house. Her kids’ school bus was pulled over to the side of the road and traffic was stopped.
“I just knew that something really bad had happened. I got out of the car and started to run up the highway. Our eight-year-old son Owen had been hit by a car getting off the bus,” says Diana.
“It happened so fast,” recalls Diana. “There was a retired firefighter at the scene, two people trained in CPR had pulled over to help and an ambulance came from just down the street at the Fire Hall. Owen was rushed to Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH), where he was stabilized and sent by helicopter to SickKids. Owen sustained severe injuries that have required many years of rehabilitation therapy since.”
“Owen’s accident was over ten years ago, but I’ll never forget how amazing the staff at SMH was. They were so calm and clear, working to stabilize Owen. They saved his life. Without SMH’s life-saving intervention immediately after the accident, Owen wouldn’t have survived.”
And Diana herself, as well as other members of the family, have also received excellent care at SMH.
“In 2016, I injured my ankle and was mostly immobile,” recalls Diana. “I developed a really bad pain in my leg. My physiotherapist thought it might be a blood clot and told me to go to the hospital right away.”
Diana’s family is so grateful for the care they received they have been giving back to help others ever since.
"Our family runs a local business and we donate the proceeds from the sale of our cookies and donated antiques to charity. Every six months, 1/3 goes to Stevenson Memorial Hospital for saving Owen’s life, 1/3 to SickKids for caring for him, and 1/3 to Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital for helping Owen with his recovery,” continues Diana.
“It’s difficult to think about what happened to Owen and everything he has been through since, but I wanted to share our story to show how much SMH means to my family and so many others in this community.”
Thank you for making incredible stories like Owen’s and Diana’s possible. Your support is changing and saving patients’ lives.
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Jessica & Rodrigo Silva
July 16, 2020 was a day like no other for Jessica and Rodrigo Silva, Pryanka Balley and Caroline Greason. They were all perfect strangers that morning, but by the afternoon, they would all become connected in a way that they could have never imagined.
Jessica and Rodrigo are parents of one son who were expecting the delivery of their second any day. Pryanka Balley was taking a family member to Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) and Caroline Greason, registered practical nurse (RPN) from the perioperative unit at SMH was working in the screening trailer outside of the main entrance of the Hospital.
“Everything happened so fast,” says Jessica Silva.
Jessica had been assessed for labour and delivery around 11 a.m. that day by Alliston Midwives, and although the process had started, was not ready for the hospital quite yet. She continued the labour process at home, but by the afternoon, something had changed. By 3 p.m. Jessica and her husband gathered their things and got out the door, with Jessica having reached active labour.
What happened next was a bit of a blur for Jessica.
“My body just took over and by the time we got out of the car and started walking towards the hospital, I knew I had to push,” says Jessica. “The weight of everything was unbelievable. I physically couldn’t take another step,” she adds.
Caroline had started her shift in the screening trailer at SMH at 3 p.m. Twenty-four minutes into her shift, she heard a scream coming from the parking lot. Concerned, she ran outside to find Jessica in full labour being held up by her husband.
Caroline yelled for a wheelchair and for gloves, as she quickly realized that there was a baby coming, and fast.
By 3:29 p.m. baby Elias was in her arms. She cleared his airway, checked his breathing and kept the baby stimulated.
“She is absolutely a hero to us,” says Jessica. “She went above and beyond her role, delivered our baby and never left my side.”
Seeing what was happening and wanting to help the best way she could, Pryanka ran to her car and grabbed a sweater, so that the baby safely wrapped, protected and kept warm.
Tim Koenig
Tim Koenig
It was Good Friday of Easter Weekend and Tim Koenig was looking forward to celebrating with family when he suddenly started to experience a shooting pain in his arm.
“It really hurt,” recalls Tim, who was only 55 at the time. “At first I thought I must have pulled a muscle or something. I stretched my arm and it went away a bit. But 15 minutes later it came back in my arm and my chest started to hurt as well. I broke out into a cold sweat and I was writhing around in incredible pain.”
"I knew I was having a heart attack but was in denial which is quite a powerful thing. I even "Googled" the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and I had them all so I asked my neighbour to take me to Stevenson Memorial Hospital."
“As soon as I arrived, I immediately told the nurse, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack’ and within minutes I was rushed to a room and hooked up to machines. They administered nitroglycerine and did a blood test. At first, my doctor thought it might be an anxiety attack, but after further tests and monitoring, he told me I wasn’t going anywhere. He was 90% sure I’d had a heart attack, which tests later confirmed to be true.
Tim spent the next six days in hospital. During that time, he was temporarily transferred to Southlake for an angiogram and then taken back to Stevenson for further care before being released on April 4.
“I couldn’t believe it when they told me I had a heart attack,” recalls Tim “I was devastated. A few tears were shed for sure. And it just so happens that my wife Pauline was visiting the grandkids in Edmonton at the time, so having her rush back to be with me was stressful as well.”
“The day after I was released, I wrote into the hospital to let them know just how grateful I am to the doctors, nurses, and staff at Stevenson Memorial Hospital for their quality of care,” says Tim, who is doing well today and currently participating in the cardiac rehab program at SMH for follow up care.
“The nurses were fantastic and considering all they were dealing with (I could hear some of it), I am in awe of them. Their friendliness, empathy, and professionalism were unbelievable. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. They truly deserve all the recognition they can get!”
“Over the years, our family has faced some difficult medical challenges, including when I was involved in a very serious car accident in March 2015, but Stevenson has always been there for us,” says Tim. “I’m truly grateful for the care I received and looking forward to many more holidays with Pauline, our three kids, and grandkids.”
Thank you for making incredible stories like Tim’s possible. Your support is changing and saving patients’ lives.