This is one of a series of stories on the Victoria Hospitals Foundation鈥檚 campaign called You Are Vital.
Robert Bateman鈥檚 emergency flight from Salt Spring Island to Victoria General Hospital wasn鈥檛 all bad.
鈥淎 helicopter ride always has an element of 鈥榝un,鈥� 鈥� quipped the internationally acclaimed artist, recalling his 2016 trip to Victoria for emergency treatment.
Once at Victoria General, he was in good hands.
鈥淭here they cauterized a bleeding ulcer and put a dam in an aneurysm to the liver to restrict the flow,鈥� Bateman said. 鈥淎nd that seemed to fix the problem for a year and a half.鈥�
He was back for more emergency treatment on March 26, 2018, after bringing up blood and hemorrhaging at 2:30 a.m. He again ended up in Royal Jubilee via Salt Spring鈥檚 Lady Minto Hospital, and was put on a different regimen of drugs, then hemorrhaged again April 4 and was back at Royal Jubilee.
Bateman said that this time, Dr.聽Shung Lee and Dr. Darren Biberdorf 鈥� with the help of a great medical team 鈥� 鈥渢ook the risk of operating on this 88-year-old body for six hours, solving the problem.鈥�
The two repaired an area of his duodenum鈥檚 wall and put a sheath over his aneurysm.
Bateman had high praise for his treatment.
鈥淭he care was wonderful,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 felt that everyone from the ambulance drivers to doctors, nurses, lab technicians, physiotherapists, etc. was professional, friendly and caring.
鈥淚 am here today because of the care I received.鈥�
He was released from hospital April 25.
鈥淲e both felt that everyone always did their best for him,鈥� said Bateman鈥檚 wife, Birgit.
The Batemans 鈥� both artists, naturalists and retired high-school art teachers 鈥� live healthful, active lives. They have called Salt Spring home for 33 years and extol the benefits of being outdoors.
鈥淩esearch has shown that spending time in nature has health benefits for the mind and body,鈥� they said in a joint statement. 鈥淲e encourage everyone to get out into nature as much as possible.鈥�
Birgit said the care Robert has received has allowed him to get back to painting and to maintain physical activity.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still doing our two-kilometre walks each day, which I never thought was possible for a man of 88!鈥�
They said the walks allow them 鈥渢o notice what birds or plants are thriving around us.鈥�
The Batemans have agreed to tell the story of Robert鈥檚 treatment as part of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation鈥檚 You Are Vital Campaign, which has a goal of raising $3.5 million by March to purchase more than 100 pieces of equipment for 11 key hospital areas, such as cardiac care and mental health.
Robert said it is important to support fundraising in the health field.
鈥淚 have high praise for our health-care system and particularly how the Victoria Hospitals Foundation works to gather funds for improving our medical-care facilities, as well as purchasing the latest equipment, which we know is terribly expensive.鈥�
Birgit said Robert鈥檚 case was unusual.
鈥淏ut you, too, may experience something so unusual that you鈥檒l be grateful to be in one our hospitals, where the care, attention and knowledge is superb,鈥� she said.
Dr. Omar Ahmad, head of emergency and critical-care medicine for Island Health, said new monitors would benefit cases such as Robert鈥檚.
Ahmad praised the Batemans for continuing to do things that benefit their well-being.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e definitely role models of a real focus on quality of life,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ertainly, they derive pleasure out of their walks.鈥�
Ahmad said that upgrading monitoring systems will be a positive step.
鈥淭he new systems are going to be offering significant improvements over the old systems, and as we move forward into an interconnected hospital system, this will be one of the first steps that allows us to meet that goal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about early detection, early recognition of changes in vital signs.鈥�
The new systems, which need about $2.4 million of the campaign funding, will be able to send potentially life-saving information to any monitor in any part of both the Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals, Ahmad said.
Most patients who come to the hospitals will benefit. About 200,000 people from the Vancouver Island area are assessed annually at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General.
Ahmad pointed to the importance of monitors in a number of recent cases in the province where there have been carbon-monoxide exposures, including one in Port Hardy last week.
鈥淭hese new monitors will be able to detect those levels, which is helpful, for sure,鈥� he said, adding that the new equipment is more sensitive and more interconnected than what鈥檚 in place now.
Ahmad said the presence of carbon monoxide is often under-recognized.
鈥淓arly detection is very crucial for therapy,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 detect it easily, it often goes untreated.鈥�
That can lead to long-term effects.
New monitors will be 鈥渁 powerful part of the tools鈥� that the Victoria Hospitals Foundation campaign provides, he said. A central monitor at various 鈥渉ubs鈥� in the hospital will display information from individual rooms, Ahmad said, 鈥渁nd then that will also be connected with patients as they leave the wards to go for imaging or for procedures.鈥�
One factor in the need for new equipment is that technology changes and improves quickly, he said.
鈥淭he changes in any field are just so rapid it鈥檚 hard to keep up. We鈥檙e just trying to stay ahead of the curve.鈥�
The equipment being sought has the capacity for upgrades, Ahmad said.
The old equipment works 鈥渂ut improvements can definitely be had,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e getting to the end of their lifespan, for sure.鈥�
Donations can be made at victoriahf.ca/vital or by calling 250-519-1750.
The series
- Trip to doctor for 'cold' led to discovery of cancer in lung
- Putting moms and newborns first at Victoria General Hospital
- When the doctor becomes the patient
- Royal Jubilee lung tests prove a lifesaver for asthma sufferer
- Artist Robert Bateman takes hospital鈥檚 care to heart
- Heart attack a timely wake-up call
