A Note from Dr. Mark Adams
Dear Community Member,
My name is Dr. Mark Adams. I’m an anesthesiologist at Port Perry Hospital, a family physician, a Port Perry Hospital Foundation volunteer Board member, a proud supporter, and my family and I call Port Perry home.
I’m writing to describe a project that is incredibly important to this community and I’d like to share a story with you.
A few years ago, a landscape crew was working at my home in Port Perry. I was called urgently to the backyard to find one of the workers, Dave, collapsed on the ground. He was conscious, but had lost strength and sensation in his legs. I suspected stroke and was very concerned. An ambulance was called. Dave needed a CT scan to assess and confirm the diagnosis, which required a trip to Lakeridge’s Oshawa hospital.
While waiting for the ambulance, Dave lost consciousness; his breathing became shallow and irregular, and his colour drained. With Dave’s situation so unstable, the decision was made to first rush him to Port Perry Emergency to stabilize him, rather than risk directly travelling to Oshawa for CT.
In Port Perry we supported his breathing, initiated IV access, and performed a better assessment of his condition. Temporarily stabilized, Dave regained consciousness, but the serious neurological paralysis of his legs remained.
The next step was CT. We re-loaded him into an ambulance for the 40-minute transfer to Oshawa’s scanner. Nobody felt comfortable with this. The back of an ambulance is a challenging environment to manage a patient in medical distress. But there was no choice.
The Port Perry Hospital Foundation has launched the HERE FOR YOU fundraising campaign to purchase a CT scanner and other essential equipment for Port Perry Hospital, reducing the need for emergency transfers like the one Dave had to make. Together with your help, we can reduce the time from assessment to diagnosis to treatment when it matters most.
Your commitment to our hospital makes such a difference. Will you support this important project today? With your donation, you will help bring CT and other essential equipment to Port Perry Hospital, so that it is here for you, your loved ones and your community.
In stroke, minutes are brain cells. Lose the wrong cells and you have lifelong disabilities. Dave’s CT scan revealed a dangerous brainstem stroke and with that diagnosis, immediate treatment could begin. Treating any suspected stroke starts with determining the type of stroke because the wrong treatment could make matters worse. And CT is key to that diagnosis.
Today, Dave has returned to work and manages with only minor residual impact. Most of his stroke symptoms responded to treatment. He is very thankful for his care.
Dave was fortunate. He spent almost an hour in an ambulance, even though he collapsed only 8 minutes from the nearest hospital. Could the outcome have been better? We can’t know for sure. But with your help, future patients and families won’t need to wonder.
A CT scanner is equipment our physicians need at Port Perry Hospital to reduce time from diagnosis to treatment, so it is here for you and your community when it’s needed most.
Along with stroke, CT is used to assess injuries sustained in accidents, surgical and medical emergencies, cancer care and so much more. North Durham residents accounted for nearly 2,500 CT scans at other Lakeridge hospitals in 2019. Dave’s story is only one among many. In every instance, travel to another hospital was required. Together we can change that.
Updated electrical, completed as part of the Port Perry Hospital restoration following the fire in 2017, was key to setting the stage for CT to be possible. But the purchase of this vital equipment will only be possible if funded by the community.
Port Perry Hospital Foundation is committed to installing the CT scanner before the end of 2022. Donor support is always important to improving healthcare for the community, but perhaps never more so than right now. I hope you will help us reach this goal.
Please join me in helping bring a CT scanner and other essential equipment to Port Perry with your gift today. Make your gift by completing and returning the attached reply form or give online at www.pphfoundation.ca.
Having a CT scanner at Port Perry will enhance care for so many patients, reducing time from diagnosis to treatment. In some cases, even helping us save lives.
Thank you.
Dr. Mark Adams
P.S. I have recounted this story with permission from the patient.
P.P.S. If you have recently given to the campaign, thank you. I hope Dave’s story helps you to truly understand the impact of your support.