Ron’s Story

Ron Wilson has spent weekends skiing at Devil’s Glen since 1980. When he retired in 2013 he moved to the Collingwood area permanently, with the goal of golfing in the summer and skiing in the winter with his wife, Lesley. His life had been hospital free, except for when his wife gave birth to their three sons. He was living his dream with no thoughts of needing medical help.

This all changed at midnight on a spring night a couple of years ago. Ron woke up feeling hot and sweaty. He took an aspirin, but soon started feeling chest pain unlike anything experienced before. After a brief discussion with his wife and youngest son who was home for a visit, a decision was taken to call an ambulance.

The ambulance arrived in a matter of minutes and after an initial investigation transported Ron to the Emergency Department at the Collingwood G&M Hospital (CGMH). Staff started doing tests right away, and after a series of blood tests determined that Ron was having a heart attack. “The emergency medical team got me stabilized and pain free. The next day I was transferred to ICU where I was attentatively looked after until my surgery to repair the blockage.

I felt I was extremely well looked after at CGMH,” said Ron. “You can tell this place has been around for a long time but it’s a wonderful facility and the care here was first class. You see how CGMH staff put patients first. Everyone was attentive, professional and happy – I can’t say enough about the people” .

Having a heart attack, could have had significant negative consequences for my dream of spending my retirement, golfing and skiing. However, because of luck, timely decisions and the exceptional medical attention received at CGMH, Ron was back golfing two weeks after his event.

Ron felt like he was in good hands at CGMH and he knows how essential it is to have these services close to home. He was thankful to everyone, from the paramedic to the nurses and physicians who took care of him. He was impressed with the cleanliness of the facility and with how well everyone worked together. He wanted to share his story, because he believes it is important that we all support the Collingwood Hospital.