Pauline Niles Shares The Impact of Your Generosity
“I was unconscious when they loaded me into the ambulance. But when I came to, I remember the paramedics were leaning over me, saying, ‘Keep breathing, keep breathing. Stay with us.’ ”
Pauline Niles, Grateful Patient
I didn’t know what had happened, but I could hear the sirens as we sped toward Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH). I was so afraid I wouldn’t make it.
Fortunately, my fear didn’t last long – and I have you to thank. As soon as I arrived at RVH, I was surrounded by an expert, efficient and incredibly caring medical team. I immediately knew I was in good hands. The kindness I was shown during such a frightening time made all the difference in the world.
As I learned first-hand, you never know when you or someone you love will need critical care with no time to lose. That’s why I’m asking you to give to RVH’s Keep Life Wild campaign today.
Your donation will help provide urgently needed equipment and more patient beds and build a brand-new health centre in Innisfil.
I certainly wasn’t expecting to end up in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I’ve lived with polycystic kidney disease for more than 30 years. It’s a condition where cysts develop in your kidneys, causing them to lose function over time.
I’d been able to avoid dialysis by carefully managing my health and my lifestyle. After all, that’s what life in Simcoe Muskoka is all about, right? We stay active and healthy so we can enjoy the good life – the wild life.
But the disease eventually caught up with me. One of the cysts ruptured and caused sepsis – in other words, blood poisoning. My fever shot up to 104 degrees. When my husband found me, I was passed out in my chair.
Next thing you know, I was in the ICU, fighting for my life.
To make matters worse, this was at the height of COVID-19 lockdowns. No one could visit me in the hospital, not even my husband.
You’d think I’d feel lonely, but I didn’t. Every day, the nurse came to talk to me. She asked about my health, my job, my family, and my favorite books. She treated me like a person, not a patient.
“Every day, the nurse came to talk to me. She asked about my health, my job, my family, and my favorite books. She treated me like a person, not a patient…The doctors and nurses and other staff members were worked off their feet, but that didn’t stop them from greeting me with a smile, asking if there was anything I needed, and doing whatever they could to help me recover as quickly as possible.”
Everyone was like that. The doctors, nurses, and other staff members were worked off their feet, but that didn’t stop them from greeting me with a smile, asking if there was anything I needed, and doing whatever they could to help me recover as quickly as possible.
Despite the chaos of the pandemic, I was treated with the compassion and kindness RVH is known for here in Simcoe Muskoka.
After I was discharged from the ICU, I continued to go to RVH for regular checkups with my care team. During one of these visits, I was exhausted and bloated; my skin was grey, and everything hurt.
My care team took one look at me and knew I needed to get on dialysis right away. I had a catheter surgically inserted into my stomach so that every night, an at-home dialysis machine could clean my blood.
Once again, the team at RVH went above and beyond to care for me. They called regularly to see how I was doing. When I made a mistake with the dialysis machine, they were on top of it right away.
Even just the other week, they showed how much they care. As you can likely imagine, it’s painful to be connected to a machine for eight hours every night. When my nurse called to see how I was doing, I told her about the pain and discomfort I’d been feeling.
She listened carefully and told me she’d discuss my situation with her colleagues and get back to me with solutions. That’s exactly what she did. She not only returned my call that same day but also followed up in an email to make sure I had everything written down.
These gestures might not seem like much, but when you’re sick, scared and in pain, they mean everything. It changes the entire experience. If, like me, you have to go to the hospital a lot, this kind of care makes all the difference in your healing. You know you will be treated with respect and get the best care.
“Time and time again, the people at RVH have proven that they’re not just my care team. They’re like family.”
Is it any surprise that I jumped at the chance to become involved with the Keep Life Wild campaign? I can’t imagine what my life would be like without RVH – or if I’d even be here at all.
Now, I volunteer my time to inspire others to support the campaign and help bring a brand-new hospital to Innisfil. This plan to expand is close to my heart because I understand that even a short trip up the highway to RVH can be challenging for those in need of immediate care. Establishing a hospital in Innisfil will be a game changer for the people who will one day rely on it for their healthcare needs. Don’t you agree?
RVH is the only regional health centre in Simcoe Muskoka. That means it does a lot of heavy lifting. It’s home to specialized clinical programs like cancer, heart, stroke, mental health, trauma, and critical care – for the entire region. This means that when you or your loved ones need life-saving treatment, RVH is there, equipped with the expertise and resources to offer the best care possible.
Like all hospitals, RVH is under a lot of strain. Most days, every available bed is full, meaning patients are being treated in hallways and other spaces not meant for care. With our region growing the way it is, this situation is only going to get more urgent.
Fortunately, RVH has a plan to address that growth and make sure everyone can receive the world-class care they need, close to home. The Keep Life Wild campaign will expand the Barrie site and build a new hospital in Innisfil.
Learn more about RVH’s plan for the future of healthcare in Innisfil, and why we need you.
I live in Innisfil and can’t wait for the new health centre to be complete. Once that happens, people won’t have to make the critical choice of travelling north to Barrie or south along Highway 400 for care. They’ll be able to get what they need—and deserve—right here in our own backyard.
One of the other areas your gift will help support is critical care. RVH cares for the most critically ill patients in the region. Your gifts will help RVH expand the ICU, add more state-of-the-art equipment, and enhance the types of care they can provide. They’ll be able to offer more advanced cardiac intensive care, do lab tests right in the ICU, and build 15 new private rooms, including three airborne isolation rooms.
I can’t stress enough how important your support is to the amazing quality of care at RVH. I’m living proof! By giving today, you can make a lasting difference in someone’s life.