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From Kayla T:

Message :
Dr. S. Mohamed Ally saw me when I had felt a ball in my abdomen & trouble urinating and bowel movements. She took x-rays and bloodwork. She came in with the "results". She said it was a ball of backed up feces due to unhealthy dieting (I am overweight) she sent me home with pharmacy grade laxatives. I was so embarrassed. The ball was there after doing everything. I started to feel pain and vomiting after every meal. my family forced me to return (I didn't want to be humiliated again). This time at emerge they said I had a large fibroid at 20ish cm and sent home with a gyno referral. I was released with narcotic pain meds. A few days later when the narcotics didn't relieve the pain and I still could not pee with out excessive force and could not stop puking I went a third time. They finally admitted me. The 21cm "fibroid" grew several cms since the last visit. I was released after a few days and a gyno telling me it was again a fibroid and he could treat with injections or surgery but will send me to a specialist in London anyway. Fast forward. I see the specialist she suggests an emergency surgery that Friday for a complete hysterectomy
The mass was literally CRUSHING my organs and twisting my vagina and bowels to the point she couldn't even go in for a biopsy. I accepted. Fast forward to after surgery. Dr comes in and says it was an aggressive cancer called "leiomyosarcoma" that was now 30cm and necrotic. I go for scans and appointments every 3 months at the cancer clinic now. I lost my chance to reproduce. I had two blood transfusions, I still can't get my levels normal. this cancer is unpredictable and Fast. If Dr Ally took it seriously, or even read the x-ray I could of had it out 10cm smaller and not necrotic, decreasing chance of spread and likely a less invasive procedure. The scariest part is if I didn't push the Healthcare system I would of died within a few weeks and left a 3 year-old behind.

Response:

oh my god, I'm devastated for you! are you ok with me posting your story? have you thought of filing a complaint through the ombudsman or doctors college? there are links on our website! thinking of you and hopefully we can make changes!!

Message:

Yes I'm okay with that. I did file a complaint with the advocacy and another place .nothing came of it. She is still there

from Anonymous

Message:
Hi i would like to post anonymous
I just had a newborn and older child as well.
I was going through a rough patch and i had no support whatsoever. I had severe postpartum depression along with generalized depression.
One night i felt like i hit rock bottom .
I was having bad thoughts like ending my life .
I managed to drag the 2 kids with me to the bwh emergency room .
When i was finally seen by someone that stated they if i would wanted help i would have found childcare first and they sent me home .
Not even giving me resources no follow up no nothing .

Response from us:

That's absolutely horrific! And absolutely unacceptable!! i'm so sorry you had to deal with this. there are links on our page for mental health help and also places to file a complaint! I hope you are well now and that your days are brighter! Healing hugs!

From Merry Nace

Message:
My story is from years ago just before they moved the emergency room and closed the old Blue Water Health Mitton site. This is also long! I am fine with my name being posted. I would rather the whole world know my story than this happen to another child or mother!
It was Mother's Day 2010. It's a day I will never forget.
A few days prior to Mothers day my son had caught what was thought to be a viral infection that was not getting any better. We brought him to the emergency room. After waiting we were told to continue to give fluids, alternate Tylenol and ibuprofen for fever and it's just viral he will be fine no tests. Back home we went.
A day before Mother's Day I took my son into the emergency room again as he was continuing to get worse and nothing was helping. I was waking up to coughing on the baby monitor and would go into his room and he would be projectile vomiting and laying in a huge pile of just undigested formula. The puddles were unreal and would pour down the side of the crib onto the floor. Again I was treated like a new mother who didn't understand anything at all. I was sent home again with no tests or anything. They tried to get an IV about 5x while I held my screaming child as they poked and proded him again and again. They finally just gave up and said they couldn't get an IV so I was to force feed him fluids through a medicinal syringe multiple times a day. They didn't listen he has diarrhea they didn't listen that he will just vomit it back up. I was unheard!
Mother's day I remember my mom saying my son did not look right she kept saying his eyes just look dark. I didn't want to go back to emerge and be humiliated yet again as an operprotective young mother. We dropped our son off with his aunt for a couple hours as we attended a funeral for our friends baby. During the funeral his aunt called and stated she thinks we need to come home as he had already thrown up all over the spare clothes we sent for him.
I remember my son's legs arms and chest were an off color almost as if he was cold after a bath. I didn't.know at the time he was modeling. We rushed to the emergency room department where we were told to wait our turn as he wasn't urgent. My son started to projectile vomit and the nurse handed us a puke thing and told us to wait. I was with my husband and he started to flip out and stand up for us. That's when they called like 10 security guards who watched over us like a hawk. The nurse was still going to make us wait until everyone in the waiting area refused to go back and told them to take our little guy.
While in the back our son got real cold to the touch and his eyes started to roll back in his head. We couldn't leave the room we were in as the guards were just keeping us there but not helping in anyway. We started screaming help us our son is dying. No one was coming. I felt defeated. Then a doctor just coming into the hospital with her stuff still in her hands walked by us and stopped and asked what was happening. She took one look at our baby and rushed him to a separate room and called for a crash cart.
My son was so severely dehydrated his body was shutting down. He had a completely white bowel movement which showed his kidneys were shutting down. He was dying. They had to initiate and put an io in as his veins were not even able to be accessed by IV. He was shipped to London piccu for 2 weeks.
I was fortunate enough for Dr. Crozier coming into the hospital that day and by chance stopping to ask the necessary questions. If not my son most likely would have died right there in that room while security watched and did nothing.
I do not trust Bluewater Health and never fully will after that! So many hands we went through before we found one gem!

response from me:

Oh my God I'm so sorry that this happened to you. That's absolutely horrific. I hope that you filed a complaint against the hospital. I don't know what the statute of limitations is for that but honestly I would still try. I'm so glad that that doctor finally came in and that you received the care that your son's so urgently needed. This is absolutely tragic. I do hope that your son continues to live a normal life despite this horrific mistreatment. Healing hugs

Message from anonymous

Message:
i've had my fair share of hospital visits.
One that stands out for me is when I was having a miscarriage and the person that sits there who monitors told me just to sit there and wait you don't need a ticket cause I'll remember. you can tell I was in serious pain I would get a big cramp which caused me to cry I have a high pain tolerance and than blood would pool out of me down below anyways so you can see I'm physically in pain so the people head me go in but the more people come in and I'm in and out of pain and didn't comprehend until I realized people who came in after me got sent in, so then I hear her say "hey, you don't need a ticket I'll remember" I said "you better have a ticket cause I'm bleeding pools of blood out of my V."
They gave me Tylenol for pain, things to change into as soon as I get to the bathroom stand up. All of it comes flooding out of me right on the bathroom floor and then at that moment is when they took me seriously.
I was 20+ weeks when I had a miscarriage in the emergency department at Bluewater Hospital.

Response:

Oh my dear ____________, I'm so sorry for your loss. That's tragic. and it's horrible that you were so mistreated. Please file a complaint! Please seek counselling for grief if you haven't already. my heart hurts for you!

May i post your first  name with this post?
Healing hugs

Message from anonymous copied from social media

Anonymous sent:
Aww they don't give a crap there! They sent ***** home after an attempt and I didnt want them to...a couple weeks later, I got a call from the police that he was suicidal.... they are idiots there... just about money.
I'm happy to see you have so much support! That's amazing!

You sent:
If you would be willing to tell your story that would be awesome. I'm going to be creating a web page and linking it to the Facebook page Kayla's corner
Anonymous sent:
*** would Kill me if anyone found out. ...it's not his proudest moment. .. I can do it anonymous though.
Literally , yesterday the school called and said that ***** had let the counselor know he had attempted to jump off the over pass (same as *****) but ended up stepping down (someone pulled ***** down) ...the school said that there was NO POINT going to the hospital because since he wasn't actively trying to kill himself at the moment, the hospital would do nothing
They sent him to some crisis center on Lochiel and front ...never even heard of it ... youth in crisis hub.... he talked to someone and they said they would try to get him in for counseling and call him..... like wtf
He is on a 8-12 wk wait list else .... there isn't any help for kids

Or adults.
What am I supposed to do in the mean time 😕
Anyhow ... I am very sorry to hear about your friend. 💔
That shouldn't have happened. The hospital is trash.
You sent
Omg 8-12 weeks!!!
Anonymous sent:
Yes
You sent
can i copy and paste this and change the names?
Anonymous sent
Yes, but change the names please and don't show my name
You sent
absolutely
Anonymous sent :
Thank you 🙂

message from anonymous

Message:
As a former of employee of Bluewater Health please accept my condolences this hospital is beyond corrupt . While there are many great doctors and nurses , but upper management only cares about what looks good on paper and their public image. Clearly nobody is being fooled . Thank you for opening the public’s eye !

Response Anonymous

we will NOT stop this fight! thank you for our message

message from "R"

When I was in high school I went to blue water health for a lump growing on my face. The lump was painful and hot “clearly infected”
After waiting for hours I was put in a room and waited some more. When the doctor finally came to my room he didn’t even finish opening the curtain before he was blurting out a diagnosis. Told me it was a cyst and gave me some pills to take. Sent me home!
A few hours later my right side of my face was completely swollen. It had gotten so bad I was starting to lose my sight in my right eye. My mom took me back to the hospital and demanded they look at me again. After waiting 2 more hours I see a different doctor. He then tells me I have a severe infection in my face (cellulitis)
They put me on iv antibiotics because by then it had gotten so bad.
Moral of the story is when they sent me home I went to bed, and laid there in agony. And if I hadn’t have went back I too would probably be dead right now.
I’m a healthcare worker as well and I can see clear as day that there is a real problem here.

Reply from me

I'm saddened to read your story. I'm glad you eventually received help. our hospitals need to do better. i don't care how busy that waiting room is , EVERY patient deserves proper attention and care!! may i share your post with your name or anonymously? ( posted with letter of first name)

message from anonymous:

Message:

I have struggled with this hospital since 2016… they killed my father… they refused to do anything for him when he got sepsis in his legs.. they finally after MONTHS sent him to London… but it was too late… he was already too infected and too far gone to be saved.. he was in London hospital for about a week before he died…
Second
.. my brother.. he was rushed to hospital by ambulance after a different tragic event… where they left him sitting in the hallway on a gurney.. no one came to look at him or anything they sent him home saying he just had a headache… he went back hours later and again they did nothing for him but watching his monitors… finally about 9pm they rushed him to London… he went into a coma and subsequently died two weeks later after his body just couldn’t take it anymore…
I am so scared to even go anywhere near this hospital because of these events..
Oh and a dr that tells me to bring my epileptic son home because “he’s not dead” (direct quote) after a grand mal seizure..
Not a good place to go if you want care!!!!

Response from me

wow!! All of that is so tragic and I'm so sorry you have to deal with all that. It must be difficult in many ways. Please take a moment to check out the pages to file against hospital staff and to also seek counselling if needed. 

healing hugs

message from Cassandra VanTongerloo

Message:

Please share where ever you may need!
I want to start by saying Matt and Crystal thank you for raising such a brave, beautiful, kind loving Person. My life was truly blessed getting to know Kayla from age 4 until now.. she was a huge pain in the ass but she was the person I knew I could count on at the end of the day

I think it’s time to open up and share my story.. this is hard as I’ve done my best to shove it to the back of my mind like the hospital did..
I’ve struggled with mental illness for a long time but really noticed it at the start of high-school, you know the typical feeling like I don’t fit in, i stopped playing the sports I used to and only stuck to track and field and definitely over worked myself to make sure I was good at it. I moved out of my parents home at 17 and began drinking and using substances to cope with my mental illnesses and past traumas. I got sober in March of 2018 and with that came the declining mental illness because I was no longer “numb” here starts many many trips to the ER for crisis situations.. many times being turned away because “I wasn’t a threat to myself” “you are just getting sober you’ll be fine” even though I went in saying I was scared I would hurt myself or someone else. I got connected to a psychiatrist who just pushed pills down my throat without giving go a diagnosis, he wouldn’t listen to my concerns when I felt like medications were not working or if they were working too much. I spent many days scared I was going to hurt someone because of the pills, I spent many days not being able to get out of bed because I was a zombie. He wouldn’t make eye contact with me, but he did listen to my mom. As the person stuffing I think my opinion is more valid but not to this doctor, I do appreciate my mom for being my advocate because I obviously couldn’t advocate for myself.. in June 2018 I self harmed really bad and had to get my mom to help me get dressed and take me yet again to the hospital, I spent hours before talking to a nurse who was just going to send me home until my myself my mom and my best friend Ashley (Kayla’s aunt) begged them to keep me.. I was kept for almost 3 weeks, again being ignored by the doctor he only wanted to listen to my mom, she was scared to have me come back home and that is why my stay was so long. Thank you mom because if she hadn’t been there for me I don’t think I’d be here today.. after about 30 different medications in a 2 year period I said enough was enough. These doctors care about pills pills pills not about actually being there when you need to talk.. I was diagnosed eventually with major depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder but was given no tools on how to cope, no support other then the phone call with a psychiatrist once a year. In 2020 I said enough and have just learned how to “deal” with my mental health on my own.. I will never attend sarnia hospital if I was in crisis again. Being made to feel like you are worthless when you are in a state of already feeling worthless has to be the worst feeling in the world… I have watched so many people I love die to mental health and addiction issues this last year that my heart is just broken that this “hospital” can keep getting away with this crap.. my heart breaks for absolutely everyone who has ever tried to reach out for help and been denied…

Message from me

this is absolutely tragic. i read this through tear filled eyes. thank you for telling us your story. thank you for being kayla's friend. thank you for still being here. i will post your story for others to read. i will post your story of survival so hopefully it helps ensure changes age made! 

please let me know if you want to remain anonymous or if we can use your first name!

Response

You can absolutely use my name, I will not remain silent any longer.. thank you for helping to finally make changes.. thank you for finally making me feel like the everyday fight is worth it.!

message from justyn

Message from Sarah

Message:
Hi ,
My name is Sarah ******* , I’m 29 years old for 15 years I have battled mental health, just yesterday (November 23 2024 ) I went in to Victoria hospital proactively to ask for help , and triage nurses made me sit in the chairs for 15 minutes….. 5 people came in after me and got triaged before me …. When I got called up I asked if they were ready to help me the nurse stated “ we have more pressing issues then yours coming in to the department you just have to wait “ then I was asked to leave the department. As I walked away and about to leave property I had a security guard follow me and stop me . I was in tears and even more suicidal. Then two police officers showed up …. And then they talked to me as I explained to them I didn’t want to fight the monster in my head anymore because I ask for help and then what happened just now happens…. So they asked if I would go back voluntarily…. So I agreed …. I was placed in a room that looked like an execution room … a brick room with nothing but a restraint bed … then a few hours later the cop came in stating they had to search me because I was technically apprehended….. I said “ I thought we agreed that I was walking back voluntarily “ he responded “ no that was just so we didn’t handcuff you , if you just safety planned you wouldn’t find yourself in this situation “ Then another officer and security guard came in and started yelling at me , I started getting emotional and yelling asking them not to yell at me in which they yelled “ you need to start acting like a child because what you are doing is fucking ridiculous “ all of this while I have four male police officer standing at my door yelling at me demanding I do things as someone who has a history of PTSD and sexual assault, and just got told her suicidal and homicidal thoughts are not a pressing issue in the department and I’m going to have to wait , then get told to leave …. THEN have the police called on her to have her brought back ????
I was nothing but calm and collected the full 15 minutes waiting my turn in triage , the 4 hours in the jail room … but as soon as my trauma response is activated… now all of a sudden I have to act like an adult ???
This is at a hospital that in their parking lot they have banners literally EVERYWHERE and painted on the building “great people , great care “ ….. idk about you …. But I don’t see the great care in that situation 🤷‍♀️
It’s a double edged sword …. It absolutely breaks my heart to know Kayla lost her life due to this but as bad as it sounds it’s kinda a relief to hear that I’m not the only one going through this :( and I mean that in the most respectful way …. I mean like I wish no one would go through this …. But it kinda helps to know this isn’t a targeted thing towards me :( like I have done something wrong 😭 . I feel Kayla’s pain …. And I am at the point of her …. Our system is broken …. I am legit scared to ask for help because we go in asking for help and we are treated like absolute criminals and they make it sound like they “ did everything they could “ which in reality they come in for 30 fuckin seconds and tell us “ we are not a crisis centre stop coming here “ and send us home . So what do we do ? We make this world a better place and leave ! Because we have no where else to turn because the people who are get in to the field to “ help “ don’t give a shit ….

I am so sorry for your loss …. I really do hope you can heal from this :( I am so so sorry she was a victim of such a fuckin broken system . I truly do feel her pain . I truly am in the same boat . Been in it for 15 years ….. they SAY they care …. But they don’t ….

This email has been sent automatically because a visitor submitted the form on www.kaylascorner2024.com/. All messages can also be read from within the Editor.

Response from me

i am so sorry this is happening to you. im so sorry that the hospital failed you when you sought help.
PLEASE see all the people that care about you and know you have a million reasons to stay in this world.
please don't succumb to the monsters in your head!
you were strong and brave to write me what you did.
do you have anyone who can go to the hospital with you, to advocate for you?
we are working to make changes but they wont come over night. i pray our movement makes ER's and psychiatric wards open their eyes in time to help you and countless others.
please ask a family member or friend to go with you to the hospital. someone who can attest to your severity. someone who can say something about whats going on outside bluewater health each night because a system failed and we lost a life. someone to warn them they dont want the same kind of thing to happen there.
please reach out to 988 if you are in crisis. please reach out to CMHA. please stay , please dont give up.

Message from Justyn

Message:
Unfortunately we had a similar experience at BWH and with Dr Peterson . My father went to him with back pains , and he decided just to send my father to a chiropractor. After months and months of no success from pain in the back , he did not look any further into my father , just sending him to chiropractor so we went to emergency. We got the news that my father had a TUMOR on his spine . From a doctor that happen to working that night told us . Doctor Peterson is a idiot and should be accountable for his actions. My father was only 67

response from me

im so sorry. are they able to remove the tumor? are they able to fix the issues? emergency rooms are too chaotic and the staff just tries to rush through. please file a complaint against the doctor that brushed your father off. i hope that things work out for you!

Message from m*****

Message:
I know it’s not to server but in 2019 i went to blue water health cause I was having major pain in my stomach to the point I was so uncomfortable I couldn’t sit still they sent me for an xray and told me nothing was wrong and sent me home. I went to Windsor to visit the girl I was dating at the time and was still in pain so we went to the hospital there and I got told I had gall stones and I needed to get my gall bladder out. So in that time I could have been out of pain if sarnia hospital actually did there job and helped me.

This email has been sent automatically because a visitor submitted the form on www.kaylascorner2024.com/community-stories. All messages can also be read from within the Editor.

2nd Message:
Blue water health is so terrible with there patients my mom was taking in may to the hospital by ambulance as she has something long term wrong with her legs. They admitted her to get rid of the pain but it took them to her ceasing out before they finally realized that she had an infection in her legs. One morning they called me cause she wasn’t acting right and when I got there she wasn’t responsive she kept making noises and the lady said I’m not sure what’s wrong with her does she normally act like this and I said no this is the first I ever seen this. Scary as a daughter to see your parent like that I stayed at the hospital all day with her begging for answers then my pastor came in and asked her doctor to do more test to find out what’s going on at 10pm that night I finally got an answer that she had an infection running through her body. Like I was afraid she was dying and the doctors weren’t working to hard to help her.

Response from me

thats horrible!! both things are horrible. and your gallstones are serious also. don't think any one issue is less important than another. EVERY patient deserves patience and if they took a little more time maybe things wouldn't get over looked.. i hope that both you and your mother make full recoveries! and please file against the hospital for both. our government wont know to make changes if we all don't speak up and let them know there is a problem (or problems)

Message from Jennifer

Message:
Hey there
What you guys are doing g to amazing i suffer from mental health.
Am going through so much right now and seeing g this brings.hope for change in are system.. I have been to blue water health quite a few times with mental health and again, they did absolutely nothing to help me in any kind of way. I am so sorry for your loss.
Thank you for standing up and making a change. It is about time somebody steps up and says something
So again, thank you so so much forever. Ything that you guys are doing

Response from me

Thank you for your message. i'm sorry that you suffer from mental health issues. We do hope that change comes from what we are doing and bringing hope to people in encouraging! we plan on presenting peoples testimonials and our own to the highest levels of government we can to force them to make changes! please check out the resources we have on our web page (we are adding more as we find them) . there is hope, you matter!

Message from Anonymous

Message:
I want to share my story. I had a baby back in October of this year. Went in on a Thursday for my mental health as my pregnancy was causing me to be exhausted. During my examination with the nurse my “water” breaks. At that point I was admitted. After a night of cervical exams a bunch of meds I had a different OB come in and tell me my water never fully broke so the whole night of trying to profess my labour was pointless due to the fact my fore waters hadn’t broken. Fast forward to my delivery, after making my wishes known I asked for no fentanyl due to a family history of addiction and death because of it. They continued to ask me if I wanted it despite being told no. I told them I feel the urge to push to go get the doctor they told me I wasn’t fully dilated that I don’t need to push. 10 minutes later my daughter was born barely breathing and my body refusing to contract properly. So from the time they broke my fore waters to the time I had my daughter there was less than an hour difference. My body had gone through such a shock through delivery, it didn’t know how to process what was going on. I spent several hours on oxytocin to get my uterus to contract properly. I get release from the hospital fast forward two weeks I’m passing huge clots feeling dizzy and sick to my stomach. I was filling pads within second of putting them on. I go to my doctors they tell me I have a uti and that’s why I’m bleeding like crazy. Two days later I end up back at the hospital bleeding through everything I’m wearing they tell me I have to go to Sarnia. I go to Sarnia get examined they put me on more medication and send me for an urgent ultrasound the next morning. 15 minutes before leaving for my ultrasound I passed 8 massive clots and bleed through 3 pads. Get the ultrasound done and go back to the emergency room to sit there for 6 hours just to be told I have retained products from conception (a piece of my placenta was left in me) I get informed that I’ll be going for surgery that night to have a d&c with suction done. Here I am after my surgery thinking everything should be good now.
Fast forward to now a month after my surgery I’m still bleeding, I’ve been put on a bunch of meds to try and stop the bleeding, sent for once again another ultrasound. Just to find out that I have retained products from conception AGAIN!
So now not only do I have a 6 week old at home a 4 year and a 6 year old but now I have to go for surgery again. Because the hospital failed to remove everything the first time.

The hospital made a mistake the first time sending me home and not making sure everything was out and now I’ve been losing blood for the past month and have to go through the trauma again. The hospital needs to do better work and make sure they are doing there jobs properly. Something like this in my situation can cause a person to go septic and kill them.

Response from me

Oh my goodness!! your experience is absolutely horrifying and unnecessary!! im so sorry you have endured so much. having a baby is supposed to be a wonderful experience. that is utter negligence on their behalf!! i hope you report this to the ombudsman and make formal complaints to the doctors board!! there are links on our webpage!i hope you are now home and recovering for the final time! i hope you and your family can now enjoy the new baby and all of you are healthy and happy!

Message from Sara

Message:
I come here after I walked out of emerg to find people protesting. I wanted to know why and good golly this wasn’t easy to find. The hospital really wants their extreme negligence and malfeasance covered. What a shock, said no one, ever. I’m sitting in a room waiting for my husband to come back from inadequate testing.

I used to be embarrassed by my story but not anymore. It’s extremely long but I’ll give the Cole’s Notes and, most importantly, what I’ve learned to circumvent the disaster that is the deeply unstable and ineffective Canadian medical system.

I had a baby in 2013 and my obstetrical care in London, by “Dr.” Jordan Schmidt was nothing short of inept. I’m very tall and slight (6’1”, 123 pounds) with long legs and a short torso. Any problem I had, and I mean any, was answered with, “you’re tall, you’ll be fine.” I was never measured, nothing. They let me go two weeks over and after a difficult birth where our son was stuck, the MD, Robert DiCecco, used forceps. Those forceps severed the ligaments that hold up my pelvic floor, and I wasn’t told. I bled from August to October, heavily, and was told it was normal. I couldn’t walk but I trusted the MDs. It healed as best as it could but ultimately everything snapped and collapsed almost five years later. I researched my symptoms and off I went to our new GP, Ahmed Kamar, in Dutton, Ontario. I knew I had a POP but was told I was “too young” and had a UTI. He didn’t even do a physical exam and told me he doesn’t need to justify his choices to me, he’s the “doctor.” I had never had one and didn’t understand the overwhelming stupidity of Canadian MDs, so I listened. I took 15 rounds of antibiotics over the next year, had gynae’s tell me it wasn’t “serious” (my organs were falling out) and “most women deal very well with this.” Basic, and I mean BASIC, medical research tells you that’s a lie. Women suffer severely but are summarily dismissed. They told me they’d “fix it” around the time I was 65 or 70 with mesh. I was 30 years-old. I was deeply suicidal at this point as I couldn’t sleep because I had to pee constantly. I also had numerous issues due to antibiotic toxicity. MDs told me I needed psych meds because “it’s all in your head.” Kamar actually pulled my husband aside and said I needed a psychiatrist as there was nothing “physically wrong with me.” I had organs falling out of my body and much more.

Then I started looking outside the barren intellectual and skill wasteland that is Canadian med.

I had surgery in Florida, using my own fascia to suspend my pelvic floor, performed by a world leading doctor named Lennox Hoyte. He developed the robot (he was an MIT trained engineer first) and surgery to do this. He a leading specialist in medical malpractice cases. And he’s wonderful; I’d recommend The Pelvic Floor Institute to anyone, man or woman, who’s looking for quality care. The surgery costed $30,000 cad and included 4 nights in hospital, 24 hr. nursing and care, etc. I came home and healed well all whilst my GP told me it was “unnecessary.” Kamar also refused to give me my medical notes, which were likely riddled with lies, so not valuable anyway. We derostered. We certainly couldn’t allow this man near our child, it’s dangerous and we were unwilling to gamble with our then young son’s life.

I sought international testing, which the GP said, “was a cash grab” that showed I had a raging dysbiotic vaginal and bladder infection. I had a naturopath treat the infection and it took two years but he cleared it. Then infection after infection came back. In this time I also injured my back falling, went to BWH and was told I was fine, just a strained muscle. This was after an MRI which had to fight for. I ended up in Germany getting an ADR weeks later as my L5-S1 was completely ruptured and I was almost bone-on-bone. They noticed straight away. I had a team of specialists come in and say that it was amazing I wasn’t paralyzed as my sciatic nerves were crushed on both sides and I was leaking fluid heavily. I also had a broken vertebrae that BWH didn’t diagnose. I also had referred pain to the clitoris. All possible and well documented in medical literature. The surgery was $60,000 and $26,000 in travel/lodging for the required rehab after surgery. Yes, they actually give a damn there. The clitoral pain stopped. But the infections continued.

We paid for lots of out of country testing and started comparing and contrasting and cross-referencing my data with established EUROPEAN studies. We came to the conclusion that my gut microbiome is nonexistent due to the lack of care and over prescription of antibiotics. Testing corroborated this. I am now getting FMT in Slovakia ($9400 for 10 treatments and all stay and travel). Once I have a stable biome I’m headed to Georgia (Central Europe) for phage therapy to tackle the multiple infections I have been given by the Canadian medical system, all of which are antibiotic resistant and could kill me if it wasn’t for the herbals I take.

So, long story but here’s the good part. You CAN survive Canadian med. but you have to use them against themselves. These people aren’t the brightest but rather the dimmest in society. They will bend over backward to have their ego’s boosted. A head pat and paycheque is literally all most care about. So, use them to req. tests alone. Lie to get what you need. Go from walk-in to walk-in, if you have to. NEVER see a “healthcare” professional alone. Tape all interactions via voice record. (Completely legal, checked with several malpractice lawyers. Don’t let the hospital rent-a-cop(s) scare you. They can do nothing.) Always cover your behind. Get a second and third opinion— available in the states for $150-$250, with shipment costs. Seek international care WHENEVER you can. You’re probably thinking I’m wealthy— I’m not. My husband is a contractor and I stay at home. We’re making it work by giving up things here and there. No new cars, vacations, etc. It can be done. And, most importantly, DO NOT back down. I’ve had lots of MDs tell me no to testing and I always say the same thing: “this is happening whether you want it to or not. You can either get paid for the req., the test, and the subsequent appointment or not. Your call. And don’t bother with the PIA acronyms, no one cares.” I’ve never been turned down. Also, find a good somatic therapist to help you move through the CPTSD you will have from the gaslighting and negligence. I’d say complain to the CPSO but it’s useless. They protect their own. They know people are dying, they simply don’t care. I appealed the decision(s) they’ve made simply to have it be public record. If enough people do, maybe we can make a change.

Take your health, and the health of your loved ones, into your own hands as much as humanly possible. Do not let them near you unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. They don’t care and they’re very dim, which is a dangerous combination.

This is a long shot but if anyone wants to contact me regarding how to even start looking outside of the box, I am more than happy to help. You are NOT a number. You are NOT expendable and none of this is your fault. You ARE worth it. You ARE valuable and people love you. Help is available, just not here.

This email has been sent automatically because a visitor submitted the form on www.kaylascorner2024.com/community-stories. All messages can also be read from within the Editor.

Response from me

What an absolutely heart wrenching story. Your lack of medical Care is astounding but sadly not a surprise given the stories that we have been told. I am a friend of the girl that died, her parents and I are now developing a friendship so I created this website so people can share their stories and resources if they have any. Check out the whole website there are ways to report these cases. If you have any information on lawyers that could possibly help that would be amazing. This is all new and we are still navigating our way through the waters to help create change. Thank you for sharing with us. I hope your husband is okay and I hope you and your family can live long and healthy lives despite our medical system ❤️‍🩹

Reply back to me;

I’m so sorry for your loss, as well as theirs. As you stated, sadly, no one is surprised.

I’d love to give some great advice regarding the legal system and how to navigate this but, the truth is, there’s no solution. MDs in Canada are incredibly well-insulated from their ineptitude. Contacting the CPSO is fruitless as they always protect their own and Canadian medical is a self-policing system. There is no accountability and they fight very hard to keep it that way. (They also control entrance targets and limits to medical schools.) A few years back there were 30-ish women who were sexually assaulted and raped by a gynae in Toronto. They all launched cases and were dismissed. It wasn’t until they came together and went to the media that the CPSO pretended to do something. That MD went to another province because Canada doesn’t have an intraprovincial reporting system. Even with appeals, nothing will happen but it becomes public record. If enough reports are made then maybe the province will do something. It takes about two years to get through the process. They drag it out in hopes you’ll give up.

If you try to sue an MD for their negligence, you will lose. Ontarians fund the MD lawyer fund so when the maim and/or kill, if you seek justice you will fund their lawyer gaslighting you and them not being held accountable for their actions. Additionally, the lies that are told in the notes are well documented. Lawyers, mostly from the London branch of the Lerner Firm, will try to scare you into revoking. I’ve written many a response to an ill-advised lawyer response. You’re also not working with accurate notes because MDs will try to hold them back on grounds of “intellectual property”. You can tell CPSO but there’s no proof so you will be dismissed.

Medical care, statistically, in Canada is bottom-of-the-barrel, at best. Were the second largest consumers of medical tourism in the world, behind the States. They leave due to cost, we leave due to lack of care. Europe is about 8-10 years behind current science and it’s mostly implementation. The United States is about 13-15 years behind. We’re 27-30 years behind since we have a monopoly system where stagnation is rewarded. In some areas, it’s worse than that. For example, for disc ruptures we fuse backs or perform outdated laminectomies whereas artificial disc replacement has been standard care in Europe for 32-years, with 15 years development and implementation before that. So we’re 47 years behind and still causing arthropathy when a viable solution exists in most of the developed and developing worlds. FMT is approved, with 20 years research in Europe, in children as young as 2; were still pretending it’s dangerous. This is all available in established medical research via Google.

The best thing to do is avoid where possible. There are a ton of options in and out of Canada but it doesn’t come from the petrochemical derived “healthcare” industry.

I’m 7 years into this journey. We’ve learned a lot. And I’m happy to share and help where I can.

And keep protesting. You’re doing the right thing. I told my husband that you were protesting and as he lie in a hospital bed he said, “Good. Hopefully this helps change things. The system is broken.”

FROM KAYLAS CORNER FB PAGE

Another Anon drop just now

I also have a story I would like to post anonymous, it’s nothing super crazy but it shows how untrained the nurses are, one day I took my 5 month old baby in and they took his temp by mouth, even as a nursing student I know we never take baby temps by mouth always armpit, my son fought it but she finally got a number I’m not sure how accurate it was, she then drilled me as to why I didn’t give him Tylenol even though his temp wasn’t even that high it was just barely breaching 38 Celsius , and then told me I was probably just being a worried first time mom not to mention if I’d given him Tylenol he wouldn’t be showing signs of fever and they would just dismiss him. Turns out he had a double eye infection and needed medicine which we waited for hours just for a prescription.

I also had another experience there while I was pregnant with him, I woke up in the middle of the night very short of breath and very panicked ( I had been dealing with the worst cold I’ve ever had) and every time I breathed it wounded wet like there was fluid in my lungs, when triaged my o2 sat was lower than normal at 95% and I was almost hyperventilating, the nurse did nothing to comfort me and when I brought up the o2 sat result she said it was normal???? I waited to be seen for what felt like forever not being able to breathe I went in at 3 am and didn’t get out of there until 9am!! the er doc in sarnia said there’s nothing he can do to figure it out and told me it was just a bad cold, he prescribed me an inhaler for asthma, I tried to fill it at shoppers and they couldn’t even read his writing!! So I ended up having to go back the next day, the inhaler I was prescribed did next to nothing and I was still very ill so I went to petrolia where finally they did a chest X-ray right away and noticed I had a some kind of respiratory infection, they also collected a phlegm specimen, he prescribed me a powder inhaler with steroid in it which did the trick instantly not to mention I was able to get it filled right away becuase of the doctors near handwriting. I reccomend petrolia hospital alllll the way

FROM KAYLAS CORNER FB PAGE

Graphic content warning (blood)

I was roughly 8 months pregnant and I went into the emergency with sever abdominal pain.. there was myself and several others in the waiting room, it was packed. It seemed as everyone was waiting hours. I had been there 3 hours and no one was called in but several others more have shown up. People I have never met were asking that I get in because I was pregnant.

I noticed a woman, likely roughly 40-50years of age with a walker. She had very heavy lethargic breathing and held her gut (she was there before me). She kept asking nurses to help her into the bathroom, crying for someone to help her. (Due to covid-no one helped her) she eventually walked to the back of the waiting room (a chair beside the washroom) when someone else came out of the washroom, she went in. I looked over and noticed a puddle of blood under where she was sitting. I immediately reported to the desk nurse and she said she would send someone to clean it.... then the red lights went off above the bathroom... the woman in the bathroom opened the door, then collapsed on the floor.. blood pooling from her. From where I was sitting on the back wall I could see the bathroom was now covered in blood. The sink, the mirror, the floors and walls, with handprints and what looked like bloody slip marks on the floor... people rushed in to take her away and a janitor came to clean.

Not even 5 minutes pass, and I hear code blue. (Patient is in critical condition)... someone runs by with a carton of blood.

Another hour goes by and im sitting near the vending machines (yes still in waiting area) and the nurse that the woman begged to help her into the washroom, was getting a drink and said to her co worker "it's not my fault, I refuse to get blamed for that woman's death."

She said it loud enough for the whole room to hear, and immediately regretted it... i left the hospital, went to petrolia hospital and found i had a cyst within 4 hours. (After waiting in sarnia waiting room for 6 hours of nothing)

FROM KAYLAS CORNER FB PAGE

Sent anonymous !!

i am writing about my experience in the ER on Friday. It is unfortunate I must write this complaint as typically my ER experiences at Bluewater Health have been acceptable.My 15 year old daughter has mental health diagnosis. On the evening of Friday she told me she was very sad and was suicidal, she had a plan and had been self harming. She ASKED me to take her to the ER for help. She went willingly. We endured a multiple hour wait in an interview room. We were finally seen in the early hours of Saturdsy by the crises nurse Brandon I believe his name was. He interviewed Her ( she asked to speak to him alone) and then spoke with me. He was very quick to point out that there were no Youth bed available and if she was admitted she would sit in the ER until a bed became available and “its the weekend after all so no chance of that happening.” He also told me my daughter was “ a difficult case” and He “didn’t know what to do”. His biggest concern was that she confirmed she had a suicide plan but wouldn’t disclose it to him. HE asked me if I knew what it was . I did not but she did tell me she had one as I stated earlier. He then said he would go back in and see if he could “get it out of her as that would make everything change”...Again he went in and spoke with her came in and said to me well she just wont tell me and that he now needed to speak to the doctor... again he reiterated how difficult this situation was......The doctor came in shortly after with the nurse, I didn’t catch her name but it may have been Dr. Ali or something like that. She was curt and showed absolutely no compassion for our situation or that fact it was 3 am and we had been there for hours. She did not address my daughter but focused on me. She told me my daughter did not meet the “ criteria” for an admission to hospital. She listed 3 things that were the criteria one being if she felt the patient was a danger to herself.... She then said “ I am an ER doctor not a psychiatrist... I assume she is also not a cardiologist, endocrinologist or orthopedic doctor but I bet she assesses these things in the ER regularly. She then said to me quite rudely “ What did you think was going to happen by your bringing her here tonite?” Really is that even an acceptable thing to ask? She told me to take her home and to keep and eye on her. She then went on to say hide all your pills and if you have a gun you should hide that too...... in front of my daughter. I was shocked that she made no attempt to talk to my daughter or assess her or show compassion for her situation at all. It was all blame, insinuations and ignorance. We left the ER with my daughter crying . The first thing she said to me when we got outside the ER was “ I guess I will go home and take a bunch of pills” .... my daughter continued to self harm and I was up all night with her .I am sure there will be a completely different story from the doctor, after all she must defend her poor behaviour but this was our experience and it is truthful and honest. These are my concerns I would like to make from this situation.Any child who asks to be taken to the ER and goes willingly is crying for help. This is an optimal time for crises intervention which I assume is the point of a dedicated crises nurse.The crises nurse was not seasoned enough to be in this position, it is never ok to use bed availability as an assessment tool.My child is an individual, and should be assessed as such, not in a standardized fashion meeting or not meeting absolute criteria. She was suicidal with a plan that should have been enough. The absence of the details should never be a barrier to accessing services that could save her life.My daughter left the ER in shame, crying and now with the idea of taking pills as the resolution for her mental anguish. The stigma of mental illness is awful enough but when we constantly tell teens to get help, ask for help, go to ER if you feel suicidal, only to be met with apathy and shame and being chastised for seeking this help we are epically failing....your hospital failed my daughterAny doctor who enters a room and states what she is not, should never be in a position of responsibility. If they are not skilled in the area they should not be practicing. This doctor could benefit from sensitivity training.My daughter did not commit suicide that night because of me. The crises nurse, doctor and shared idea that taking your child to the ER when they are suicidal did nothing in this situation, in fact I think it made it worse and secured some options for her as to how she is to seek help. That being said when my daughter does overdose on medications instead of asking for help and support that will be on the ER doctor.

FROM KAYLAS CORNER FB PAGE

I wanted to share this anonymously so I couldn’t comment on your post but Friday my best friend went to the emergency in distress due to substance withdrawal and mental illness and was there from 7am until 8pm at night and they did not see a single crisis support or member of the withdrawal management team, I am heart broken for her. The protest was happening while people are still being denied care. The only purson she saw in the hours she was there was friggen nurses!!

FROM KAYLAS CORNER FB PAGE

I absolutely HATE this hospital. HATE!!! They literally made me lose (killed) my baby (‘accidentally’ gave me morphine when I was 7.5 months pregnant and allergic saying I had kidney stones (without any ultrasound) and after sending me home the first time saying I was ‘fine just having a possible UTI pain and to see my family dr or this just late pregnancy pain! Then out loud complaining I came back when I couldn’t stand up and felt contractions. ‘Why are you back?’ The nurse shouted at me when she saw me back in the ER after being sent home in terrible pain. They laid me on a bed and told me it was safe for the baby to give me pain meds until I could have an ultrasound, and scoffed at me asking if I thought I was a martyr when I said I would deal with the pain if there would be any chance it would harm my baby. Also I am allergic to morphine which was in my chart. I was told what they were giving me was ‘fine’! I was left alone. The pain never stopped and they came and gave me more and left. I then felt like I peed myself and called the nurse because I was having symptoms that I get when I have morphine. It was my water that had broken, and I asked if there was morphine in the IV and I heard the nurse say, ‘oh shit!’ I screamed. I was then told my baby had no heartbeat. What happened following is so unbelievable I can not bare to write it. It felt like a movie, a horror movie. One of the worst experiences of my life.

Also my ex-husband had a very serious mental health crisis prior to the above experience and was rushed to hospital unconscious. The nurse had me sit for hours and I was told nothing until the nurse came over to me and said, “if your husband wakes up tell him he should be ashamed of himself. I heard he has children. Suicide is selfish.” I was absolutely shocked, terrified, alone, and told to go home until they call as they had no room for me to stay.” They never called, I called the next morning.He survived and no one watched him as I had begged him to be admitted and put on watch because he told me he was angry I had saved him. He was so so unwell. I asked to speak to the nurse and told her what he had said and that he planned on leaving as soon as he could and following through. She turned to him and I heard her over the phone chastise him, “oh honey you aren’t going anywhere!” Less than twenty minutes later he was walking through the door of our home still in his hospital gown with blood on his arms from pulling out his own IV and trying to get our car keys to drive away. The hospital nurse then called and said, Mrs….i hate to inform you but your husband has gone ‘AWOL’, I said I know…he is here now! How did you let him leave?. She then said loudly, and he heard through the receiver, we are sending the police. Then the police sirens were blasting down our street. They chased him and wouldn’t drive the cruiser up to where they caught him but paraded him in his hospital gown down our street to the corner for all our neighbours and our children’s friends to see. This was a nightmare for all of us during a serious mental health medical crisis. The lack of professionalism, compassion for anyone and even basic psychiatric knowledge was astounding. I finally made a contact in London and had him transferred to London where he had the complete opposite care by a world renowned psychiatrist.

There are so many more horrific details of these two personal experiences that would make people absolutely sick. I was advised too that if I sued I would be put through more hell and that their threshold for medical ‘risk’ aka malpractice is so much higher than a typical lawsuit for wrong doing that I would run out of money before I saw any justice or change. I chose to get counselling, NEVER go to that hospital again and every time we needed anything to go to London or Chatham even though we lived 5 blocks away.

I am so so sorry, so very angry and terrified that this has not changed and that Kayla lost her life and her friends and family are living this nightmare. There must be accountability, not just about blame as a salve but truly to save future lives!

FROM KAYLAS CORNER FB PAGE

Hi id like share story anonymously My daughter is so distraught over how Kayla was mistreated so here is my story of bwh… my mom was always shrugged off as a drug seaker not ever taken serious of headaches well on the am of Dec 1 she was taken by ambulance as she was found on her kitchen floor with stroke like symptoms at 9 am stil awake and able to answer questions at this time … she had been er 2 days prior for a headache after hitting her head on a air compressor no ct was ever done treated and streeted with in a hour … so

When she arrived Dec 1 no one called me her poa until 230 pm with less then 10 mins to choose what to do . Well because u see they didn’t do a cat scan to see she had a hematoma on her brain so they gave her meds for a stroke whiich break up blood clots well that cause her hematoma to

Rupture causing a severe anyrusium now she was sedated virtually brain dead and they finally decide call

Me and tell me they can send her London to see if they can do surgery stop

The bleeding or wait see if it stops but her quality life would never be the same … she was 61 the part of her brain affected was what controls speech walking talking etc … I didn’t know my moms wishes I didn’t get a chance to ask or say goodbye as she never woke up she died 2 days later at the young age of

61 cause no one took her serious or took time for a 5min scan where they would have seen it and been able to fix it before it burst I believe they killed my mother!!! And refuse to be held accountable and didn’t call me for 5 hrs the whole time she was awake I refuse to use that hospital I go to petroila

FROM KAYLAS CORNER FB PAGE ( Krista Pierson )

Warning, this post does contain some very personal things about Mark. We've talked long and hard about making this public and decided it needed to be. Our only hope is we can stop this from happening to anyone else. We need to step up and say this isn't right. This letter is long and has been sent to BWH, among other places. This will make people understand why I've been so angry with BWH.

To whom it may concern ,My name is Krista Pierson and I am writing this letter on behalf of my husband Mark Pierson, who unfortunately has had to spend quite a bit of time at Bluewater Health in Sarnia between March of 2020 until the present time. There are quite a few instances where his care has been very questionable and concerning, I have created a list of these concerns since the beginning of his hospital stays.

In March of 2020 he had a colonoscopy done where, at 39 years old, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer. After further scans and testing it was determined his cancer is stage 4.

In April of 2020 he had an ileostomy performed at Bluewater Health by Dr. Andrejs Rudovics. Day 1 after surgery he was given food he shouldn't have been given. When he mentioned this to his nurse, she told him it was fine because it was lean meat. His meal consisted of roast beef, mixed vegetables (corn, peas and carrots) and mashed potatoes. Beef is not easy to digest and thankfully he knew not to eat the corn and peas from our own research. On day 2 after surgery, he told his nurse he was having quite a bit of pain and was told it was normal. He was sent home that day with a bowel obstruction and rushed back by ambulance on day 3 because of it. He spent 2 nights in hospital after that and was yet again given food he could not eat. Thankfully he picked and only ate the foods he knew were safe for him.

A week later he was brought back into the ER with a fever and a lot of pain. It turned out that he had an infection in his bowel and thankfully it was caught before it got bad. He had another surgery done by Dr. Taylor to clean out the infection and was yet again given foods he shouldn't have had so he had to pick around those foods and only eat what was safe.

Over the next 8 months he was in and out of the hospital with obstructions often. He was always given something for pain and it always let go on it's own. He was usually kept overnight for observation. We weren’t sure why he was having so many obstructions and issues with his ostomy, as this is not normal. After many obstructions and ER visits, none of the physicians that seen Mark decided to look into why this was happening. It was mentioned to us by the dietitian in London that maybe there was a bend in his bowel when the ostomy was placed. The oncologist agreed and said that could be possible, but we didn’t investigate it further and we stuck to the light diet hoping to stop the obstructions. Nothing we did stopped them. We even went as far as straining pasta sauce so there were no surprises.

Every time he was in it was the same thing, unsafe foods for him to pick around, one meal was just bread with gravy since he couldn't eat anything else on the plate. He didn't complain, knowing it was just a day or two he just ate around foods.

One evening we brought him in to the ER with an obstruction, they gave him something for pain and the obstruction released on it's own, his ostomy leaked all over, he buzzed for a nurse but was told everyone was too busy. He was left for 4 hours with his feces leaking all over himself. No one brought him anything to even clean himself up. He was then sent home covered in his own feces that evening.

Another concern is the way some of the nurses on the surgical floor care for the ostomy. His ostomy is quite the challenge because of the placement, and we've had a lot of issues with it leaking. He has had quite a few nurses rip it off him without care for his skin. During a 3 day stay he went through 25 ostomy changes because it kept leaking, his skin was absolutely destroyed from the nurses ripping the ostomy off him instead of using remover wipes. Every time he has come home from a hospital stay his skin is so raw and broken the ostomy flange won't stick to it, it's bleeding and very painful. This is concerning, since ostomy’s do leak, and his skin being so raw around the ostomy site can lead to infection and more issues. I would usually spend a week trying to clean it up. He has even had to walk a nurse through how to put on his appliance, quite frankly, that's not ok. A nurse should not be performing a procedure on a patient without the guidance of another experienced nurse if they are not comfortable or trained properly on how to perform the procedure. At home we care for it quite easily with very little issues.

I've been told I could not go up to see him because of covid protocols but many times was asked to bring up his own ostomy supplies because they didn't have any, I've dropped off around $500 in supplies over the last 2 years.

Marks visit to the ER on December 12th, 2020, would have to be my largest concern. We brought him in to the ER with what we thought to be an obstruction, 4 hours later I received a call from Dr. Suryavanshi telling me I needed to get up to the hospital right away. His bowels had twisted, and he needed emergency surgery. Surgery was scheduled for 12:15 am, he was given a paper to sign but he was on some strong pain medication and was very out of it. It took 6 times of me telling him to sign before he did. I later found out I should have been the one to sign for him since he was so out of it. He was saying his goodbyes to me, and he kept telling me he was dying. He doesn't remember that night at all. It was the scariest moment of my life. To say that I was very emotionally distraught is an understatement. I found that the nurses came in, did what they needed to do, but gave me no emotional support or reassurance in one of the scariest moments of my life. My grandmother passed away from the same issue, so I immediately was fearing the worst. Due to covid protocols, I couldn’t have any family support either, so I was left alone, and scared for my husband’s life. I sat in the ICU waiting room by myself for 4 hours, not one nurse came to check on me or give me any updates on my husbands status. Thankfully there was no major permanent damage and he made it through ok.

He spent 9 days in the hospital, drugged, scared and alone. I called twice a day to speak with his nurse to see how he was doing, I kept getting told he was doing ok. I knew he wasn't ok, if he was, he would have called me often like always. It was 5-6 days before Mark was coherent enough to call me, as he was so heavily medicated for those 5-6 days prior. On day 7 I was told that I was able to have gone up and see him a few times during the week. I was angry no one told me this sooner and when I mentioned this to the nurse she said, "we don't like to tell people that, so we aren't overrun with people". I’m completely disturbed that they are more concerned about being overwhelmed by people and not more concerned about the patients/family and their mental well-being. My husband laid in a hospital bed for a week, heavily drugged, alone, and mentally giving up on his life. I am so angry and upset with the hospital, as I was able to be there so support my husband physically and emotionally and the hospital decided it was ok to not inform me of that. I quickly got ready and headed up to see him. When I arrived the nurse was removing his staples from his abdomen, he was begging her to stop for a minute because the pain was so unbearable, she ignored his concerns and finished what she was doing and then left the room. My heart sank seeing him in that much pain and listening to him beg her to stop as she ignored him. This worries me because how else was he treated during his time there that I couldn’t witness because they didn’t disclose to me my right to go be with my husband.

When she came back into the room she started cutting a new ostomy flange because his started leaking. I noticed it was too small so I mentioned that to her, when I told her this she told me that size on flange was what was on him now. I looked and she was right, only his stoma wasn't properly in it, it was under it and being squished by the flange. There could have been some serious damage to his stoma, like the flange cutting open the stoma, causing poor circulation or pushing it back inside his body. I told her this and she seemed to get quite annoyed with me but went to find the proper size. When I looked closer at him he had dried feces all over his stomach and down between his legs I had to actually scratch it off him with my nails. I asked for something to wash him with, his nurse looked at me and said "oh your going to wash him?" I replied with "yes I'm going to wash him, look at him! He is covered in feces he needs to be cleaned". I’m appalled that he was left in this state, after he just had a major surgery and his healing surgical sites. He shouldn’t be left covered in feces when he has surgical wounds this could lead to major infections, which it did. She brought me a few packages of bath cloths and while washing him I noticed his elbows, legs and feet we're so dry they were cracked and bleeding, he had just finished a chemotherapy treatment and that causes dry and sore skin. The skin under his testicles was so raw it was peeling, the skin under his ostomy patch and down his side was so raw it was bleeding, and nothing would stick to it. He later informed me that while doing his physio he wasn't given pants, underwear, or a backwards gown to cover himself, he had to get up and walk around with just his 1 gown on, leaving him exposed, this happened a few times. He looked like he hadn't been bathed in a week (I could tell from the dried feces all over him and in his pubic hair) and when I asked him if he had been washed at all he said he didn't think so but he couldn't remember because of the strong pain meds he had been given, they just used his soiled gown to wipe him up quick (I saw this happen before I washed him myself). He was yelled at by a night nurse for not using the call button when his ostomy leaked during the night even though he was sleeping and wasn’t aware.

An EKG was done at one point because his heart rate was up, when I asked about it I was told it was from stress. I then asked if it could be because he wasn't given a nicotine patch, his nurse just said "ya it could be" and walked away, I had told his nurse the first day I called that he was a smoker. He was given hrydro morphine so often he was always out of it, even when he didn't ask for it.When it was time for me to leave he cried, I cried, he just wanted to come home where he knew he would be cared for and kept clean.

As I was leaving the hospital one of the nurses he had in the past stopped me to talk, he really liked her. I cried while talking to her and told her how worried I was about him. She spoke to the charge nurse about trying to get our 2 boys in to see him for 10 minutes. She said he needed to see them because that wasn't him, he was giving up and we both knew it. Thankfully we were given the ok to do so. Seeing his boys gave him the motivation he needed to keep pushing through. He was able to go home 2 days later.On his eighth day in the hospital he was finally given a shower. The nurse didn’t cover his PICC line before we went in. He asked for it to be covered, as he was told when he was home that he always needed to wear a shower sleeve when he was in the shower. He was denied the shower sleeve and was told that the tegaderm was enough. He spent 40 minutes in there washing himself and just sitting under the spray. He needed that so bad. The nurse who brought him down finally gave him some cream for the skin under his testicles and his poor legs and feet.

On day 9 he finally came home. I did have to call the hospital a couple days later to set up hydration for our home care nurse to administer. After some disagreements with the charge nurse, they finally agreed to it. They wanted him to return to the ER and I didn’t want him to have to go back after having a major surgery, being on chemo, and covid numbers being high. He had a total breakdown at the thought of going back to the hospital to get the treatment there, I didn’t want to put him through the emotional distress of having to go back, so I am thankful the doctor allowed our home care nurse was able to do this for him.

It took me well over a week to clean his skin up, he cried almost every day for 2 weeks. I sat up with him often through the night reminding him he was home, and I was there. He was having nightmares and waking up crying and shaking due to the emotional distress he just endured at the hospital.

A week after coming home his home care nurse noticed his wound looked infected and told us we need to go in for antibiotics. My husband instantly started to shake, cry and panic, fear took over. His homecare nurse apologized and said believe me, I don't want to send you back there. I was also told that after his care the week before I needed to push and insist that I stay with him, I did just that.

While in the ER department to be checked out, the doctor said his heart rate was up and she wanted an EKG. I looked at her and said "I can tell you why, he is terrified he is going to be admitted again and this is why" I listed off everything he went through and demanded to speak with someone higher up if he was being admitted. The ER doctor spoke to the surgeon on call and told him everything I had said. He came down and had a look and said it was an infection and needed to be cleaned out. He started to remove the staples from his incision, it was extremely painful, and my husband started to panic. The surgeon then asked the nurse to give him something for pain. He was planning to open him right there without anything for pain. I tried to shield him from seeing what was going on but unfortunately, he managed to see a hand go inside of his stomach. Once the pain meds kicked in his infection was cleaned out, the wound was packed, and we were sent home. This procedure was done right in the emergency department – not in a sterile room. Thankfully with the help of our amazing homecare team we got him feeling back to himself.

He did have some amazing nurses during some of his stays, I will not deny that, unfortunately the not so good ones are the ones who stand out the most.

He later opened to me about how he felt while he was in the hospital. He felt like he didn't matter, he felt like he was worthless, he felt he was a burden to the nurses, he felt like it wasn't worth the fight anymore. My husband who is only 40, has two young boys, who is one of the strongest, hard working and loving man I've ever known felt like giving up on himself.

All was going well until October 18th, 2021. He was recovering from a proctectomy that was done two weeks prior at University Hospital in London Ontario. Around dinner time he started to develop a low-grade fever. With all the issues we've had at Sarnia hospital we decided to go to Petrolia hospital to have him checked out. We were greeted by a nurse whose exact words were "you are here for just a low grade fever?" She proceeded to belittle us and treat us like we were wasting her time even after explaining the situation and our concerns. When we told her we didn't give him anything to bring the fever down because we had been told by his doctor not to, she replied with "well listen to your doctors then, what do I know I'm just a nurse". After seeing the ER doctor, he agreed with using caution and did blood culture's and started him on a broad-spectrum antibiotic to be safe. When the same nurse came in the room to set up an IV line Mark started to hyperventilate, as mentioned below he is suffering from PTSD because of hospital care. The nurse looked at him and quite rudely said "why are you hyperventilating? We're just doing an IV and bloodwork and it's done now so stop it". I admit to getting snappy with her and told her about his dealing with PTSD because of hospital neglect, she stopped talking to us from then on out. She removed the staples from his surgery since they were set to come out that day, with no pain meds on board. He asked if he could have something for pain and she said “like what an advil or Tylenol? Removing staples doesn’t hurt.” she proceeded and didn't care that it caused him extreme pain. She hooked him up to IV antibiotics and left the room. We didn't know her shift was over but I had to find someone to unhook him when his antibiotics were finished.

Two days later I got a call from Petrolia hospital telling me his culture's came back positive and to get to the ER in Sarnia asap because Mark was septic. We of course went to University Hospital in London because of his past experiences as BWH. I was called again by a nurse at Petrolia Hospital the following morning to make sure he was brought in. I told the nurse who called about the nurse we had in the ER on Monday, and she said she will report it to a manager, I was told to expect a call back and never received one. Mark spent one week in University Hospital in London on IV antibiotics, where he received excellent treatment and compassionate care from the staff. An additional 10 days of oral antibiotics were prescribed at home, thankfully we went in for "just a low grade fever"

I have no idea if anything will come of this letter, although something should, as there is obvious cracks in our health care system. I was told by his social worker and his case worker from the LHIN, that I need to reach out and make sure someone was informed about his poor care and the trauma he is now dealing with. He has been diagnosed with PTSD thanks to everything that had happened and the neglect that he received. There is a huge loss of trust with our health care system because of this. I should not have to drive an hour to go to a hospital where my husband feels safe and will get good care when there is a hospital 5 minutes from my house.

I'm honestly kicking myself now for not getting pictures of his condition, but in the moment all I could think was to get him cleaned up and cared for. The food situation should not be a one size fits all. There are people who can not eat some foods and yet they still get those foods, even after speaking with a dietitian multiple times.

Nurses clearly need more training where ostomies are concerned, and more compassion to their patients, especially those who are going through a major traumas like my husband.

With the Covid 19 restrictions in place I was not able to advocate for my husband, my husband suffered more then anyone should by the hands of the people we are supposed to trust with our lives. Something needs to change, nothing about this is ok. I know for a personal fact this is not the only instance of neglect and abuse from some of the staff at Bluewater health and I know nothing was done about it. Unfortunately thanks to the Covid 19 restrictions many more people are being neglected and hospitals are getting away with it because people are alone with no one to advocate for them. Unfortunately, due to the new vaccine mandates, our healthcare system that is already stretched thin, is being stretched even farther. I can honestly say I am disgusted with how the system is being run. Something has to change, not only am I concerned for my husband and his care, but what else is happening to other patients.

It's taken me a long time to get through writing this letter, as it is very emotional and brings up some trauma. Receiving a diagnosis like Mark received at 39 years old is scary and stressful enough as it is. But you tend to have hope that your healthcare system is going to fight and help you get through one of the scariest times of your life. They are supposed to be there to support you, care for you, and reassure you. Mark received treatment that couldn’t be farther from what you expect from your healthcare system. They should ensure a safe, compassionate, and comfortable space for them to heal and receive treatment. No one should be neglected while in the hospital, no one should be caused extra harm while in the hospital, no one should be left to sit in their own feces and humiliated and dehumanized while in the hospital. I feel as though a lot of the things Mark went through could have been prevented if he received the proper care when he was in the hospital. He wouldn’t have gotten an infection in his surgical site if he wasn’t covered in dry feces from his ostomy, and the multiple obstructions that he endured. The lack of nutrients needed to help the body heal and recover from surgeries from being given food he can’t eat. Having family by your side during these difficult times provides mental and emotional support for a patient and he was striped of that out of the selfishness of the nurses and hospital, and it left him feeling hopeless. Furthermore, the PTSD he now must deal with because our healthcare system traumatized him and treated him so poorly. I pray that these situations and my words are taken into deep thought and consideration by BWH so that they can make the proper changes needed to provide better care to their patients, and make the hospital a place we feel safe to go to again.

Message From Barbara

Message:
I'm very very sorry to hear this sad news. These hospitals need to be held accountable. On Feb 26th my son called the st Joseph's Cornelius center in elliot lake numerous times for help This was a detox facility center. They had a bed available and was denied for no reason less then 24 hours later my son started walking out of elliott lake to come home which is 6 hours away.
He was hit and killed by a speeding driver who to this day has not been held to even a speeding ticket. Shirt story had they brought him in the night before I would not be sharing this
We have a fb group on fb brock nevinger elliott lake.
I feel your pain your sadness the frustrations. Condolences 

Response from me

I'm so sorry to hear about your son! Our condolences to you as well. I do hope that you receive justice for your son also! i will check out the facebook page!!! healing hugs!!

Message from anonymous

Message:
My son was a police officer. Suffering from PTSD. We went Victoria hospital where we were told they didn't have the resources to deal with this. The police service did not help. He asked so many places for help but was left on his own to find someone. When he finally found private help. He was fired. So all coverage stopped. Therefore he was left alone to deal with things again. The police service said they would help him but then turned on him. I was told to many were off with mental health therefore they were trying to reduce the number by firing them. He gave his health for them only to be treated like this. They seem him doing things not in his character but just ignored him. They had a mental health doctor on the service but were told he agreed that my son was suffering but he had to write in his report only what the chief wanted as it had to go to him for approval first. What a sad world we live in when people need help cry out for help but sent on their way to manage a broken system. . most doctors we dealt with would not help due to there being a union. Sad sad situation

Response From Me

That's absolutely tragic. I'm glad that he finally found help however it should have been given by the police services. That should be mandatory available and not end up with consequences to the officers. Is it okay to share your story on the website? I can do so anonymously or with your name whichever you decide.
There's links to many resources available please utilize them. And I'm always looking for other links so by all means if you have any please let me know.

Response From Anonymous

Yes you may share my story. Anonymous pls. Thank you