When 91原创鈥檚 Randy Terrace went to bed one night last summer, he never thought he鈥檇 be fighting for his life before morning.
But that鈥檚 exactly what happened.
Waking with arm and speech problems, Randy and his wife, Andrea, quickly realized he was having a stroke.
鈥淚 tried to get out of bed, but quickly realized my left arm was numb,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 tried to tell my wife Andrea that I wasn鈥檛 feeling right, but my speech was slurred.鈥�
Quick to act, Andrea drove him to the nearest hospital 鈥� 91原创 Memorial. When he arrived at the ER, Terrace underwent a CT scan soon after he was admitted.
But for an MRI, he had to be transferred to Peace Arch Hospital.
鈥淭he transfer was really stressful for me and my family,鈥� he recalled.
鈥淲e wondered whether we should have just gone to Peace Arch in the first place.
And that鈥檚 not something that anyone should have to think of when there鈥檚 an emergency.鈥�
After the MRI, Terrace was returned to 91原创 Memorial to begin his rehab.
鈥淚n the end, I can tell you that we鈥檙e very glad we went to 91原创, as the care was truly great,鈥� Terrace said.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 an aging hospital, with a growing population, and the hospital hasn鈥檛 been able to keep up with the times.鈥�
READ MORE: From an isolation ward at 91原创 hospital to benefactor
While the quality of care provided by the health care teams was 鈥渢ruly great,鈥� the facilities and equipment are urgently in need of updating, Terrace said.
He was speaking up for the Emergency Response fundraising campaign to help build a new ER and an MRI suite.
鈥淭he MRI is a critical piece of equipment that our hospital needs to purchase in order to treat our patients when every second matters,鈥� Terrace said.
The campaign was launched in May of last year with two significant donations 鈥� $2 million from the Skidmore family and $5 million from the Martini family.
These gifts kicked off the $15-million fundraising campaign 鈥� the largest campaign in 91原创鈥檚 history 鈥� and started the foundation鈥檚 public fundraising efforts.
Since then, other donors has stepped forward, bringing the total raised to 85 per cent of the fundraising target. Terrace said he is grateful for his recovery.
鈥淭his experience has really shown me what is important in life,鈥� he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 now more relaxed, and I always take the time to smell the roses and enjoy all the little things that life offers.鈥�
He said he hopes other 91原创 residents feel this same way too and contribute to the campaign.
鈥淏ecause life is precious. Health is precious. And so are good neighbours and a strong community,鈥� Terrace said.
鈥淵ou can help ensure 91原创 Memorial is there for our friends, families and neighbours. You do that with every gift you make to our hospital.鈥�
The new MRI will be operational in early 2020, while the emergency department is slated to open in early 2021.
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