Are you afraid of going to hospitals today too? A bump in the night gives pause to ponder by Jamie Gilcig – October 10, 2011

CFN – I learned a lesson Sunday night.   Not so much a lesson, but a crashing smash of reality as I enjoyed a lovely holiday meal with friends and had an accident leaving.     I missed the top step of their deck leaving and face smashed the asphalt.    It was a momentary lapse; more embarrassing than anything; a few scrapes an a bump on my elbow, but it flashed how quickly can change in life.

My grand-mother was 96 when she fell in the winter walking into her building.   Slipped to be more precise; but she broke her hip and our medical system sadly finished her off like so many her age.

She had been alive and vibrant until then.   She’d survived a Cancer scare at 81 when she quite smoking and still sang and even danced.      She had an amazing life; being one of only two survivors of her family from Europe.   The randomness of life that brought her to safety here in Canada was just as random as that day her hand slipped from the railing into her building.

I think for me her fall, my fall, brought back how humbling and majestic life can be.     Good and bad things can happen to us in the flash of an instant.    A cute, lovely, and dear friend was worried and said I should zoom to the hospital, but I refused; chiefly because I knew nothing was broken, but mostly because I was more worried about catching some sort of super bug and sitting for 12 hours than I was of my dog licking my bloodied elbow and knee.

What does that say about our hospitals and medical system?   This year I’m going to be doing a lot more writing about our health care system in Canada.    I hope many of you become involved in these discussions because it effects all of us.

So now it’s it’s time to wipe a bit of this blood and goo from the keyboard and hit the enter button.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and hope this holiday brought you closer to your loved ones.

Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News

JL Computers

4 Comments

  1. i so agree with this the waits at are hospitals are crazy .The fact that they are cancelling peoples surgery the same days as they are to be there or getting there having no bed then they find a bed then rush for you to be ready for surgery in less then 20 mins then have your Surgeon come in 1hour ten mins after your already scared and prep to tell you the hospital has cancel the surgery to give my bed to someone else … WELCOME TO CORNWALL HOSPITAL

  2. But from the election rhetoric I understood that the hospitals have all been fixed by Dalton McGuinty. At least he said he did! Perhaps this was more BS from the Fiberals.

  3. Well folks, the only Party that would have reduced hospital wait times, increase seniors care, home care as well as invest in doctors to provide efficient healthcare for our future is the NDP. Sadly, we can’t take our vote back.

  4. We can thank Jim Brownell for doing a lot for our hospitals in SD&SG. It’s now up to Jim McDonell. Glad you’re OK, Jamie. We are all always a whisker away from life-threatening change.

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