Grateful Patient: Donny Mulrain – Critical Care Unit
When you’re far from home and experience a health crisis, you want to feel confident that you’re in good hands.
Donny Mulrain of Calgary, Alberta feels grateful for the exemplary care he received at the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) while visiting family in Brantford in June 2014.
“I received exceptionally tender care,” said Donny.
While visiting his mother, who also happens to be a long-time volunteer at the BCHS, Donny began to pass blood while going to the washroom.
His concern was the potential relation between the blood and a heart-related procedure he’d had done not long before. He was taking prescription blood thinners, which affected his body’s ability to clot blood.
Donny’s blood pressure dropped and he was taken by ambulance to the BCHS Emergency Department. Tests indicated a diverticular hemorrhage, which required Donny to receive several units of blood and plasma to rebuild his blood volume. He was admitted to the BCHS where he stayed for three days under observation, although the bleeding had stopped 12 hours after he arrived.
When he was released June 17, he was only away from the hospital 16 hours when the bleeding started again.
Donny was admitted again, to the Critical Care Unit (CCU), where he was hospitalized for six days. The 15-bed CCU provides a holistic approach to care, while utilizing specialized, state-of-the-art technology for patients with life-threatening organ failure.
Between the bleeding and his blood thinning drugs, Donny said he was left with almost no platelets, the cells that cause blood to clot. Donny lost five litres of blood, about the entire volume of a human body.
“I was never in any pain at any time,” Donny said over the telephone from his home in Calgary.
The situation wasn’t without its stresses. Both he and his wife were concerned about what the outcome might be.
However, Donny recovered with the support of the medical professionals in the Critical Care Unit and was able to return home for good this time.
Donny described the CCU medical team as being very professional and compassionate. He felt all of his questions were answered fully and was impressed with the quick response and level of care he received.
“When I was in the hospital, I thought to myself, “This is exceptional care.”
The experience made such an impact on Donny that he researched the care he’d received and estimated what he thought the treatment would have cost, and donated that amount to The Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation to express his appreciation as a grateful patient.
Donny’s story is a part of the Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation’s 12 Days of Giving Campaign.
The equipment supported by donor dollars isn’t all ‘nice to have’ — it is critical, much-needed medical equipment required to perform daily diagnostics and care for patients.
As Donny knows, when crisis or illness impacts you or a loved one, the Brant Community Healthcare System is here to offer you exceptional healthcare in your time of need. Now is the time to make a difference, please consider making a gift TODAY that is meaningful to you, and support a strong healthcare system for our community.
Your involvement, through a donation of any size, will allow the BCHS Foundation to purchase patient equipment not funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, provide essential resources to maintain the exceptional level of compassionate patient care, and invest in new and innovative technology.
To make a donation, click here or call 519-751-5510.
This holiday season, give a gift that could save a life and be a part of the Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation’s 12 Days of Giving Campaign.