Georgian Bay Boater, Donor and GBGH Patient
“I’m so grateful to the staff at Georgian Bay General Hospital. I might not be here today if it weren’t for their quick action.” – Judy Kaufman
Not everyone who comes to Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) has a permanent home in our community. Each year, seasonal residents, boaters and visitors to our region account for more than 4,500 visits to our Emergency Department.
Judy Kaufman is a longtime Georgian Bay boater, who considers Midland her home away from home. In 2014, following surgery in her home community, Judy and her husband were relaxing on their boat when she began to feel she was choking. Not the coughing kind, but she suddenly found that she couldn’t swallow and was having trouble breathing. Thankfully, they were docked at the marina, and were able to get quickly to the Emergency Department at GBGH.
Judy was quickly diagnosed and rushed into emergency surgery. A nurse ran to the parking lot to call the Anesthesiologist back to the Operating Room. Surgery was done to clear the blockage and repair the damage caused by the aforementioned surgery. Within a few hours, Judy was back on the boat and on the road to recovery.
“I’m so grateful to the staff at Georgian Bay General Hospital,” says Judy. “I might not be here today if it weren’t for their quick action.”