A health scare on Mother’s Day in 2018 helped inspire a new policy at Thunder Bay’s regional hospital that one local mother says could be life-saving.
THUNDER BAY – Three years ago, Lisa Joubert had one of the most stressful days of her life, when her daughter was airlifted to southern Ontario to access critical care for her complex heart condition.
This year, the local resident says she received the best Mother’s Day gift she could imagine, after getting the news Friday that Thunder Bay’s regional hospital has finalized a protocol with SickKids to fill a gap in emergency pediatric cardiac care.
Joubert’s youngest child, Grace, was born with a congenital heart defect that has required numerous surgeries and regular monitoring, both locally and at the SickKids hospital in Toronto.
On Mother’s Day of 2018, Lisa recalls her daughter coming into her room in the morning, complaining that her stomach was sore.
“That happens all the time when you’re a mom, and I thought nothing of it,” she recounted. “But then she started complaining of chest pains, and as soon as I considered the two symptoms together, I was immediately concerned.”
Grace, then 9, had a dangerously low heart rate when taken to the emergency department at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Medical staff determined her pacemaker wasn’t working, but weren’t able to make adjustments to the device.
That’s because the local pacemaker clinic runs only on weekdays, Joubert said, calling it one example of the more limited care available for those with complex conditions in the north.
That left her daughter in critical condition as she waited for about eight hours to be transferred by air to Toronto, with Joubert “desperately praying her heart wouldn’t stop in the air.”
At SickKids, staff were able to quickly adjust Grace’s pacemaker to stabilize her condition.
The experience left Joubert determined to find a better solution for local families like hers.
“That was really terrifying and a really critical piece for me [to ask], ‘how is it possible this can happen just because it’s a Sunday and not a Monday?’” she said.
On her return, Joubert began lobbying the regional hospital to find a solution. The process took time, but she praises TBRHSC leadership for putting a new plan in place for critical pediatric care on weekends.
The protocol will allow local adult cardiologists to consult with a SickKids electrophysiologist during off-hours, when pacemaker technologists aren’t available.
That could make all the difference for families like hers, Joubert said.
She got the news that the plan had been finalized on Friday, nearly three years to the day since Grace’s 2018 health scare.
“That piece of mind is the best Mother’s Day gift I could ever have,” she said. “For me, it was a feeling of pride and accomplishment that my advocacy could contribute to change and betterment of the system, not just for my daughter but for other families.”
Grace’s condition is rare, but there are a number of local children with congenital heart defects who could potentially benefit from the change, Joubert said.
Being the parent of a child with a complex medical condition comes with numerous challenges, which are exacerbated by living in a more remote region of the province.
Those challenges sometimes come from the health system itself, said Joubert, making her particularly thankful to find local healthcare leaders who went above and beyond to help.
“My experience working with the medical system has been that parents aren’t always respected, and sometimes they’re dismissed and seen as being over-reactive and anxious,” she said. “Working with these professionals… they were nothing less than respectful and compassionate.”
“This plan happened because of the commitment and collaboration our hospital demonstrated in their willingness to, despite limited resources, think outside the box and potentially save the life of my little girl in the future.”
While living in Thunder Bay presents undeniable healthcare challenges, the mother of two said the experience had left her feeling grateful to call the city home.
“I think it demonstrates the giant heart Thunder Bay has in coming together as a northern community in spite of limited resources to meet the needs of our community members,” she said.
source tbnewswatch