I write to you today to share my story and give thanks for the wonderful care I have received at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH). In the beginning, I had no idea how dramatically my life was about to change.

In October 2006, I was admitted to a Toronto-area hospital with a blood infection and ‘Flesh Eating’ Disease. I was given a 20% chance of surviving.

In March 2007, I was released from that hospital with arrangements for daily home care. At this time I had multiple open wounds on my body. After one day at home I realized that I could not manage the pain, so my daughter brought me, by ambulance, to OTMH.

I couldn’t walk or stand, I had lost a lot of weight and there didn’t seem to be an end in sight to the pain. But the team at OTMH wouldn’t let me lose hope! When one type of treatment didn’t work, they found something else to try. Their thoughtfulness and kind treatment lifted my spirits. Even the cleaning staff would stop in and give me words of encouragement that were so desperately needed.

How lucky I was to be put in such capable hands. It is now two years later and I am pain free and have only one wound left, which is on its way to healing. I can stand and am beginning to learn to walk again.

Now that I have reached this point, I want to take a moment to make sure that the OTMH staff receives the recognition they deserve. In particular, I would like to thank: 1E and 3E nurses, Dr. G. Sibbald, Dr. Massoud, Dr. Skazacs, Dr. James Clark, Yolanda Vanderlaan, Libby Morris, Wendy Schmidt, Sandy Graham, Sian Surridge, all of the PALS, and the volunteers in the gift shop, the library ladies and those who visit on a daily basis. They have shown me compassion, understanding, patience, friendship, humour, and have always been truthful and honest even when it was sometimes painful to hear.

It’s not just the individual caregivers. It is everyone working together, nurses, physicians, therapists, PALs and volunteers, which has brought me from a very tortured, painful existence to where I am today. I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I would also like to thank all of the community members for their financial support of OTMH. Without those donations the hospital would not have the equipment on hand to help me be one step closer to full recovery.

Many days have gone by when my family and I thought that my story would end very differently, but OTMH changed that for us. A hospital is not a place anyone wants to be, but OTMH has given me everything I need to recover and I will be eternally grateful.

Sincerely,

Susan Arnold