This week’s moments of gratitude go to our incredible people at Chilliwack General Hospital, Fraser Canyon Hospital, the Indigenous Health Program, the New Westminster Public Health Unit and Royal Columbian Hospital.
Want to send your heartfelt thanks to your health care provider or Fraser Health team member? Leave a comment below or send your thanks using our online submission form. Read more moments of gratitude at fraserhealth.ca/hearttoheart.
For Chilliwack General and Royal Columbian Hospitals
My wife brought me to the Chilliwack General Hospital Emergency Department as I was having a medical emergency. Your nurses and doctors took me in right away, got me ready for transport to Royal Columbian and had an ambulance arrive very quickly. When we got to Royal Columbian Hospital, they took me right in and I quickly had a procedure. I am alive today because of everyone's expertise. I can't thank everyone enough.
For Fraser Canyon Hospital and the Indigenous Health Program
Thanks to the staff of Fraser Canyon Hospital for the quality of care and compassion extended to my husband, myself and our adult daughter, during the last week of his life. From the Emergency Department staff, to hospice care and the Indigenous Health Program, it felt as though everyone went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure our comfort and care. The facilities, the access to hospice support (Sar, bereavement coordinator), the coordination of medical tests and procedures, the support of and interest in traditional ceremonies offered through the Indigenous Health Program led by Elder and Cultural Advisor William and Social Worker/Indigenous Health Liaison Candace.
My husband was a Métis from the Red River Valley and, after an eleven-year absence, we were enroute from B.C. to M.B. to fulfill his wish to die on his grandparent’s homestead, when he was hospitalized in Fraser Canyon Hospital a couple of days into our journey and passed away in July.
I am so very thankful for the level of care he received in the last days of his life. My daughter and I feel we were equally treated with the greatest of tenderness and compassion. Although far from family and friends, we felt embraced by a community of professionals who performed their work with ease and attention to the individuals entrusted to their care.
We could not have received better care anywhere. Fraser Canyon Hospital may be small in the grand scheme of the health care system but in our minds and hearts, it is large beyond measure as experienced through the dedication, commitment and love of those who grace its doors 24/7 lending their hands and hearts to provide quality care.
Unable to fulfill my husband’s final wish to die in Pilot Mound, we were comforted that he died so near to Hunter's Creek, the area where he first fell in love with the mountains and Fraser Valley while visiting his dad one summer as a teenager. Elder William’s Eagle Wing Ceremony, accompanied by Dwayne’s drumming and singing, and Candace's presence, enabled my husband’s spirit to take flight the following day and provided me the opportunity to release him to Creator.
I wish you and the entire staff at Fraser Canyon Hospital all the very best as you continue to offer quality, professional care for those who seek your services and support during the most challenging times in their lives.
For the New Westminster Public Health Unit
I received a call to book my son's vaccines and I just wanted to share how grateful I am for this service. My son was born in 2020 and it was challenging then to get his vaccines as a newborn, and now to be proactively called and easily be able to set up these appointments that are so vital to his health makes me so thankful. Thank you to everyone working the phones.
For Royal Columbian Hospital
Angelica, Val, and Wendy of the Maternity Unit at Royal Columbian Hospital are fantastic nurses. They are attentive, kind, and we could tell right away that they were passionate about their work. As first time parents, they made our birth and postpartum recovery experience very positive. We owe them a big thank you.