‘Stressful’ and ‘demoralizing’: Canadians share their experience with surgery delays amid rise in respiratory cases – CTV
Dec. 20, 2022
Hannah Braaksma’s son, Barrett, was born with a severe heart defect known as pulmonary atresia. As a result of the condition, doctors said Barrett might require open-heart surgery soon after birth, said Braaksma, who lives in Mission, B.C.
However, Barrett is now 14 months old and still has not been admitted for surgery. Part of the reason behind this is the surge in children currently being admitted to BC Children’s Hospital, she said.
“They told me by six months, he needs that surgery,” Braaksma told CTV National News’ Heather Wright last week. “And then it just kept getting postponed … before they cancelled and said that they didn’t have the equipment that they needed for it and also just the lack of staff.”
Braaksma is one of several Canadians who reached out to CTVNews.ca to share how their family members’ surgeries have been delayed or cancelled due to the rise in hospitalizations involving respiratory illnesses. The emailed responses have not all been independently verified.
