Cathy MacDonald’s Story
Cathy MacDonald suspected something had changed when even a walk up the driveway or a simple stroll along a flat path began to challenge her stamina. Still, the results of a bone marrow test came as a shock. The 63-year old Belcarra resident was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that forms in plasma cells and is typically incurable.
Darby Hamilton’s Story
Darby Hamilton had learned to live with the headaches that had plagued her for the past couple of years. But this time was unlike anything she had ever felt before. The pain left the 26-year old Mission resident screaming in agony. She eventually would be transported to Royal Columbian Hospital – the region’s brain and spine centre – where she soon slipped into a coma and, according to her neurosurgeon, was minutes away from death.
Darren Stewart’s Story
As students enjoyed the first days of summer vacation, Darren Stewart was closing the books on another school year. The 49-year old principal of Como Lake Middle School in Coquitlam was at home, winding down for the night, when he first grew uncomfortable. He thought it might be indigestion, but it eventually progressed to a cold and clammy feeling. By early next morning, Darren’s condition would dramatically deteriorate, necessitating a major lifesaving effort at Royal Columbian Hospital.
Senft family’s Story
It was a complete shock when Sarah Senft’s water broke. The North Shore family physician was not yet 30 weeks pregnant. She and her husband Riley, an anesthesiologist, were in California at the time for a family wedding. While the couple tried to stay calm, it was the start of a whirlwind of events that led them to be airlifted unexpectedly to Royal Columbian Hospital, where Zoe Senft was born several hours later, 10 weeks premature.
Smart philanthropy
As a pension and benefits lawyer, Colin Galinski is used to thinking about people’s future needs. The New Westminster resident has also taken a forward-thinking approach with his philanthropy. As a result, he has named Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. “It was important to me to leave a future gift and I wanted that gift to be larger than what I give on an annual basis,” says Colin, who joined Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation as a volunteer Board Director in the spring of 2015. “I have a young family and of course they come first. When I did the planning, I saw that life insurance was the best way for me to make my legacy gift.”
Spencer Evans’s Story
Spencer Evans had reason to be excited about the coming months as he went into work in early 2015. His son would be born later in the year, and he was gearing up for his second season with the Maple Ridge Burrards of the Western Lacrosse Association, the local team he had grown up watching. All of that suddenly took a back seat in Spencer’s mind when a workplace accident sent a heavy steel plate crashing onto the 22-year old’s left arm.
Gurcharan Dhindsa’s Story
Gurcharan Singh Dhindsa remembers an intense toothache. He felt unsteady as he walked down the stairs at his local Gurdwara. The 81-year old Abbotsford man somehow drove home and lay down on his bed. When his wife and granddaughter checked on him, he could no longer speak. He fell over when they tried to get him up. Unbeknownst to the family, a large clot had blocked one of the major arteries providing blood flow to the brain, triggering a potentially devastating and deadly stroke.
Val Shactman’s Story
Val Shactman realized something was very wrong when the paramedics prepared to shock him. By this point, his heart was pounding at hundreds of beats a minute. The 37-year old was rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital for a heart arrhythmia that left him hospitalized for weeks. What he saw during his lengthy stay at Royal Columbian made a profound impact on his life.
Nikkie Nolet’s story
When Nikkie Nolet became engaged, she set her wedding date far enough in the future to give her infant son time to learn to walk so he could perform ring bearer duties. But plans suddenly changed when her mother-in-law’s health took a serious turn for the worse. As Mary Nolet lay bedridden and on a ventilator at Royal Columbian Hospital, Nikkie and fiancé Marc made a decision – if they wanted Mary at the wedding, they would need to get married right away, in the hospital.
John Brugman’s Story
John Brugman had been managing symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease for two decades when doctors discovered a mass in part of his colon. Surgery was scheduled at Royal Columbian Hospital, but the mass proved only to be the beginning of a months-long health nightmare that included blood clots, an emergency operation, cardiac arrest and cancer.