Patient Stories

It was a Saturday night, and I was at one of my favourite places in Dunnville, the Mudcat Bowling Alley, having a great evening out with friends. I’d just thrown a strike and was walking back to my seat, feeling good.

But then, out of nowhere, a strange pressure took hold of my upper back, and a weird sensation crept into my right arm.

Had I shovelled too much snow the day before?

This might sound funny, but I felt an intense urge to take off my bra and lie down.

I told my friend Loretta, whom I’d only met six months earlier at the International Women’s Day event here in town, that I wasn’t feeling right and needed to rest.

As a former nurse, Loretta’s instincts immediately kicked in. She quickly laid a coat behind me to make me comfortable. She then watched as the colour changed in my face, and her face filled with concern.

Thanks to the quick thinking of those around me, 911 had already been called.

But help was still 15 minutes away.

Loretta began CPR without hesitation, and another local Dunnville friend, Dick Passmore, started mouth-to-mouth.

Loretta remembers how overwhelming it was to perform CPR on someone she deeply cared about.

She knew she had to do everything she could to save my life.

After ten life-saving thrusts, I woke up… breathing, alert, and alive. The paramedics arrived moments later.

They decided to rush me straight to the Haldimand War Memorial Hospital (HWMH), knowing I wouldn’t make it to the Hamilton General Hospital without immediate help. That quick decision saved my life.

Once I was stable, thanks to the incredible staff in the Emergency Department, I was back in the ambulance and on my way to the General.

Within days, I was back at HWMH, recovering on the third-floor inpatient unit. I can’t tell you how much I love this community; how grateful I am for the incredible staff — their compassion, professionalism, and kindness made all the difference. They are such beautiful souls. It felt like being surrounded by a big family that truly cared.

Thanks to the swift actions of Loretta, the paramedics, and the amazing care I received, I avoided heart damage and broken ribs. I’ve got a new mission now… to raise awareness about women’s heart health.

Heart attacks can look different in women, often mistaken for back pain or muscle strain. It’s so important that women listen to their bodies and get help quickly.

Our local hospital played a vital role that night, and in my recovery.

The support and care I received saved my life, and it’s because of generous donors like you that our hospital can continue to provide that life-saving care.

I ask you to consider making a gift to the Dunnville Hospital & Healthcare Foundation. Your support helps ensure that the next person who needs urgent care gets it, just like I did.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring, for giving, and for helping us keep our community healthy and safe.

I am so grateful to still be able to live and enjoy life to the fullest.

With gratitude, 
Ethel Pollak

“I was in pain,” remembers Nicole. “My daughter’s words to me were: you need to go to the hospital. You’re gray and you look like you have multiple babies in your tummy.”

“It was the worst, the most intense pain of my life.”

Watch the YouTube video below to hear how Nicole’s story ends.

Her eyes started to water, and she became very emotional when she was explaining to me how grateful she is to have our hospital in Dunnville.

It was New Years day when Mike and Betty Sawyers were driving back from their grandson’s hockey tournament. For a couple of days Mike wasn’t feeling well and finally her nursing instincts kicked in and Betty insisted he go to the emergency department at HWMH.

That decision saved his life. Mike’s heart was failing.

His heart chambers were not beating in sync and his heart was not pumping blood efficiently to his body. After a thorough exam and with no time to waste, an ambulance was called and along with the attending physician, Dr. Remington, Mike was rushed off to a hospital in the city to have a pacemaker put in.

It was so clear to see the gratitude in Betty’s eyes as she spoke about that day. What she remembers most was the compassion and empathy the entire team in the emergency department at HWMH showed. It wasn’t just about their ability to quickly diagnose the severity of Mike’s medical condition; it was also how swiftly they acted to get him the life saving care he needed. It was then that Betty knew she wouldn’t lose her husband, and her children wouldn’t lose their father.

This is why it is so important to have the medical equipment HWMH needs, so they can continue to save fathers like Mike.

Medical equipment is vital in a small hospital like ours. It allows our entire care team of doctors, nurses and technicians to perform their jobs at the very best of their ability. Remember, donors pay for medical equipment, not the government.

Not only was Mike diagnosed with a heart condition in Dunnville, but the same hospital also found his colon cancer. Because our hospital is well equipped, he was diagnosed and had his surgery to remove the cancer right at home in Dunnville. Betty and their 3 children were able to be by his side the entire time. All because of you.

It was Christmas time, and I was wrapping gifts when the pain became excruciating. I couldn’t stand and sitting was worse. My back felt like it was broken. I couldn’t find relief and I wasn’t able to see my doctor because of Covid. I turned to the only other place I could, the Emergency Department at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital, and the outcome was the very best I could hope for.

My name is Penny and as the Executive Director of the Dunnville Hospital and Healthcare Foundation, my job is to raise money for HWMH, so they have the best possible equipment to treat every single person who walks through the doors, with the best possible care.

That day I became a patient of the Emergency Department. I dreaded going and having to sit in the waiting room because the discomfort of sitting was more than I could tolerate. But something happened as I was waiting to see the doctor.

I realized how lucky I am to be a part of a community that cares so much and that we have such a great hospital so close to home.

We had been in and out of the Dunnville Emergency Department with Millie for weeks. Our baby had had croup. Bronchitis. Rhinovirus. Although the doctors and nurses did everything they could, there’s very little you can do for viral infections. Even so, everyone in the ED went out of their way to keep her comfortable.

Then it happened…

Late one night, as Millie struggled to breastfeed, her breathing changed. She began grunting with every breath. She was still her smiley self, but I knew in my heart something was very wrong. Maybe it’s mother’s intuition, but when something is wrong with your child, you know.

You just know.  

I had to do something. While trying not to panic. I loaded up Millie for the ER. Thankfully, it’s only two minutes from our home.

I was in shock, I could hardly believe it was happening,

28 years ago, working the family farm, my husband Kim’s foot was caught in a piece of equipment. Losing blood, he was at risk of losing his life. Rushed to the Haldimand War Memorial Hospital, he lost his foot but his life was saved! Because the Hospital was close to home, Kim is alive today. And as lively as ever!

I’m thankful that, as a rural hospital, HWMH was equipped to treat these very kinds of life-threatening injuries that happen when you least expect them but need help the most.

Now, you might be wondering why I’m writing you this letter, not Kim. It’s because I also have a personal story about the HWMH to share…

Last year, on Christmas Eve, I went to have my annual mammogram done at HWMH. A few days later, I was asked to return – something didn’t look right; the radiologist wanted to take a second look. Another mammogram was ordered and an ultrasound, just to be certain.

Another call followed. It was my worst fear: I had breast cancer.

In 2018, I had a heart attack. It couldn’t have come at a worse time.

It was nearing the end of Smile Cookie week, and I was working night and day at Tim Hortons. I was committed to putting as many smiles on people’s faces as I could because the proceeds from the cookies would benefit our local Haldimand War Memorial Hospital and that was my goal. We did it: we sold more than 22,700 cookies… far more than any other Tims in the country!

But the stress of the campaign to be number one in Canada was more than I expected. On Saturday, the stress hit me like a truck. I felt heart palpitations and dizzy. But I worked through it.

Things only got worse. I couldn’t pinpoint what was happening. I thought I had indigestion and nothing I did was helping! I couldn’t stand or sit I needed to take a break.

That evening after being home for a while it wasn’t getting better. I chewed two aspirins and that didn’t make a difference. Now I really knew I needed help. Instead of calling 9-1-1, I drove the 20 minutes to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Yes, I should have called for help, but I wasn’t thinking straight, and the hospital was so, soooooo close.

I can’t stress enough how important having a hospital like the Haldimand War Memorial Hospital is. Having a hospital nearby saved my life. It could save yours, too.

What happened next happens in so many small community hospitals like ours – the doctor and nurses immediately flew into action. They were committed to finding out what was wrong with me, and fast. There wasn’t a moment to spare! An EKG test revealed that I was having a heart attack! The doctor and nurses stabilized me and then an ambulance rushed me to Hamilton General for more advanced care. I know the quick actions of the HWMH care team saved my life.

I could hear myself slurring my words as I talked to Mom on the phone. Something wasn’t right. As I hung up and sat down on the couch, everything familiar was gone. There was a burst of colour, and then, nothing.

When I woke up, desperately gasping for air, my immediate thought was to phone my wife, Brenda. It took several attempts. I had lost most of the use of my arms and hands and my vision was blurred. She called the ambulance, and I was rushed to Haldimand War Memorial Hospital. I had had a stroke.

What happened next is the reason I can write this letter to you today.

I believe without a doubt that emergency room physician Dr. Jeffrey Remington was instrumental in saving my life that day. He took one look at me when I arrived at HWMH and acted quickly. Satisfied that I had been stabilized, he transferred me to the regional stroke centre in Hamilton where they were briefed and waiting for me.