Your Stories

Care Close to Home

When Jenna Lorette took her 2-year-old son, Heddwyn, to Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) to get a few stitches after a fall, she had no idea that they would spend the next three days in hospital.

In November 2021, Heddwyn was sick with a cold that just wouldn’t go away. One night, before bed, the busy toddler fell and hit his chin, and Jenna and her husband Andrew determined that he probably needed stitches. So, while Andrew stayed home with their older daughter Anna, Jenna took Heddwyn to GBGH.

It was during triage that the nurse noticed Heddwyn’s oxygen levels were dangerously low. She quickly took Jenna & Heddwyn to a treatment room and Emergency Physician Dr. Vikram Ralhan was called in.

“Within a few minutes we were into a room, my son was on oxygen and there were four nurses and doctors there working on our case,” shares Jenna. “The staff were so helpful and kind to my son, who was struggling to keep the oxygen mask on, and Dr. Ralhan was so incredible. He was on the phone with respiratory specialists from SickKids Hospital throughout the night. I could tell he was at the end of his shift, but he reassured me that he was not leaving until he knew my son was taken care of.”

The next morning, Heddwyn was transferred to the pediatric unit at RVH, where he stayed for a few days before being diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and asthma.

“Heddwyn was only a couple years younger than my own kid when he arrived at GBGH,” said Dr. Ralhan. “Despite looking relatively well, his low oxygen saturation was of concern, so I knew quick action was needed to stabilize his vital signs and prevent a rapid decline. We reviewed the case with the respiratory therapist at GBGH, consulted with the Sick Kids Bridge Team and our local on-call pediatrician before making the transfer to the pediatric program at Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) in Barrie.”

Jenna and her family are incredibly grateful to the entire team at GBGH for their professionalism and swift action which led to Heddwyn’s diagnosis.

“The staff at GBGH made me feel at ease in a very overwhelming situation, and I knew that I was in the right place with the best care,” says Jenna. “We are so thankful that we have such an amazing hospital in our community. We will continue in our support for GBGH in the years to come, both our family personally, and through my business, The Mortgage Centre. We truly understand the need for the community to come together to care for our loved ones, friends and family who may need the services of our amazing local hospital.“

 

If you would like to share your GBGH story with us, please contact Jen Russell (russellj@gbgh.on.ca).

DOC Talk: Dr. Katherine Tedman-Aucoin

We asked General Surgeon, Dr. Katherine Tedman-Aucoin about the surgical program and recent expansion of services at Georgian Bay General Hospital.

Please tell us 2-3 sentences about yourself as a physician!

My husband’s family is from this community, so this was always our escape from the city and time with family, friends and nature. I completed electives here as a medical student and a resident, so it’s a dream and a privilege to be here as staff. I started practice in July 2020 as a General Surgeon, and I have subspecialty training in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Advanced Endoscopy so I could complement, support and expand on the incredible talent GBGH has already.

What changes have you seen in the past few years in the OR?

Since coming here as a medical student, I have seen a wonderful expansion in the services for an ever increasing population. From 3 General Surgeons to 5 with other surgical services including Urology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Plastics starting soon, it’s so inspiring to see our hardworking leadership bring much needed services to the local community.

In my own practice, I feel very well supported and have been able to work with our wonderful team to bring in equipment needed to expand my surgical practice to include laparoscopic hernia repairs and laparoscopic colectomies. We have also had the incredible opportunity to update our endoscopy instruments to offer advanced polypectomies.

What does the OR need to continue growing / expanding the surgical services offered at GBGH?

Part of my training includes ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). Currently patients requiring an ERCP have to be transferred to Barrie or Toronto which can result in admissions of several days while awaiting their procedure. We transfer almost 100 inpatients per year.

A C-arm is an essential part of this surgery, which we have just acquired, and I am beyond excited about! But, we would also need an additional scope tower and special side viewing scopes to make this procedure possible close to home and without delay for our patients.

An additional scope tower for the OR would also mean shorter delays in patients who require emergency endoscopy and help facilitate ongoing laparoscopic colon resections.

Our OR has been updated with some great new equipment and technology. How does this affect your work and the OR team at GBGH?

I am so grateful for the generosity of the donors and all the support I have had in expanding my practice. It’s fantastic to be able to offer patients laparoscopic surgery and endoscopy with state of the art equipment (new monitors, additional equipment, and new scopes).

Updated equipment means expanding on the procedures we can offer for our community, and supporting General Surgery as well as the Subspecialists. Patients and staff benefit from new technology, and I am very grateful to the Foundation & community supporters for their continued investment and support!