Grateful patient Catherine Cooper is asking that you make the BCHS Foundation your charity of choice and help support the purchase of critically needed medical equipment. We first shared Catherine’s inspiring story during our 2023 Hope for Healthcare campaign and are proud to continue to spread her message about the gift of giving back.
Catherine Cooper’s 74th birthday weekend celebration this past September was sadly not the joyful celebration planned with family and friends. Catherine suddenly lost peripheral vision and mobility on her right side and needed to undergo emergency surgery at the Hamilton General Hospital when an MRI revealed a malignant brain tumor.
Once stabilized, Catherine was able to be moved to a medical inpatient unit at the Brantford General Hospital (BGH) where she could be close to home and receive supportive care while arrangements were made for her transition to an assisted living facility. “It was really difficult understanding and accepting that I wouldn’t be going home” Catherine shared. “But, I start my chemo today, and I’m hopeful that this will give me a longer time with my family.”
Brant Community Healthcare System Foundation staff had the privilege of meeting Catherine and her family just prior to Thanksgiving, while she was still at the Brantford General. Catherine reached out to the Foundation with a heartfelt request to share her story of the compassionate care she received and her wish to let our community know just how important our hospital is.
“I have had a lot of time to reflect being in the hospital for over a month” notes Catherine. “One of the things that I keep thinking about is how important healthcare is – because one day, everyone is going to need it for some reason or another. The caregivers at the BGH are absolutely amazing, but I have seen first-hand that more medical equipment and technology is needed to support them in their jobs.”
Catherine Cooper spent her career as an educator and vice principal in Brantford. “You never stop being a teacher” she jokes, “and that’s why I have to get the message out that our hospital and its caregivers need our help. I want to educate the community that it is the hospital Foundation, not the government, who raise the money to buy the medical equipment that patients use when they are here. My father Keith, who was a long-time Kiwanian, taught me how important it is to give back to your community. He always said ‘everyone needs to do their part in the world to make it a better place’. I want to help our hospital be as strong as it can be for everyone who needs it. I want to tell people that they should help the hospital and invest in it now so it will be strong when they need it.”
Catherine shared that she has been setting a daily affirmation each morning when she wakes. “Attitude is everything, and this helps me stay positive” she says. “Today’s is ‘being grateful’ for what I have, and that includes my family and everyone that is helping me here at the hospital.”
“My first night here (at the Brantford General) I was so fortunate to have Brendah (Registered Nurse Practitioner) looking after me, and she was truly a guardian angel” says Catherine. “She was kind and compassionate to me at a very, very difficult time. Beyond getting me settled and comfortable for what I knew would be a long stay, Brendah took the time to bring me a coffee and just sit and talk so I didn’t feel alone. It is a small gesture, but one that mattered so much. I have kept that coffee cup – as a reminder of how important it is to be there for each other in a time of need.”
Emily (Occupational Therapist) was also there to assist with preparations for Catherine’s transition and helped to coordinate acquiring the mechanized bed and assistive devices that will make her safe and comfortable. “It is the people who work here that have made all the difference” says Catherine. “Everyone that I have encountered has been wonderful, and I have had to see a lot of people during my stay!”
Catherine’s positivity and incredible selflessness during her own medical crisis is absolutely inspiring. She reminds us that acts of kindness and generosity of spirit are the true meaning of community. With the help of our community and donor dollars, we can transform healthcare and purchase the tools and equipment needed to provide exceptional patient-centered care at the Brant Community Healthcare System.
