The ongoing effort to raise funds for the multipurpose interventional suite at Royal Columbian Hospital got another big boost recently.
The Delesalle family donated $105,000 to the fund in recognition of the life-saving treatment one member of the family received there.
Tim Delesalle had a heart attack two years ago, in May 2010, at the age of 57.
He had just returned from a run, and collapsed at his home.
He was taken to RCH where cardiologist Dr.
Jean-Francois Dorval discovered that one of Tim's coronary arteries was completely blocked.
Dorval performed surgery to open the blockage, and he has now fully recovered.
"The angels all lined up for me perfectly that day. From my family, to the paramedics, to Dr. Jean-Francois Dorval and the staff at RCH," said Delesalle, who is one of more than 2,400 patients each year who receive angioplasty treatments at RCH.
The multipurpose interventional suite will help expand cardiac and stroke care at the regional hospital.
HEALTHY LIVING
Nearby Burnaby recently played host to the firstever municipal Healthy Living Trade Show.
Representatives from the Fraser Health Authority and 17 local municipalities - including New Westminster - came together to share ideas about creating healthier communities.
Representatives included mayors, council members, MLAs, community organizers and various health partners.
Each community came up with specific commitments and plans about different ways to promote health in their area, from walking programs to local health centre promotion.
In New Westminster, the city is working with a local elementary group to create a walk-to-school program.
The Healthier Communities Partnership was initiated in January 2011 as part of Fraser Health's Primary Health Care program, supported by the Healthy Families B.C. initiative.
Check out www.fraser health.ca for more.
HISTORY TRIP
Take a trip into medical history with the ongoing blog being done by a pair of local historians to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Royal Columbian Hospital.
Dale and Archie Miller are posting new installments each week, covering people and stories from over the last century and a half since Royal Columbian was first opened.
See http: //rch150. wordpress.com to see some of the history stories - or share your own by emailing [email protected].
GET EDUCATED
Royal City women are invited to take part in free education sessions to help prevent breast cancer through healthy lifestyle changes.
The Breast Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment Clinic is a project of the UBC Cancer Prevention Centre. Women from around the region are welcome to take part.
Sessions are held weekly, on Tuesdays at 4: 30 p.m., at B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre in Vancouver.
Space is limited, reserve by phone at 604-603-5140 or email info.bcprac@ubc. ca.
For more information, see http: //breastcancer prevention.med.ubc.ca.
TETANUS TIME?
Get ready, green thumbs - summer is finally here.
But the Canadian Coalition for Immunization Awareness is encouraging local gardeners - along with anyone who simply spends time outside playing - to check their immunization records and consider getting a tetanus shot if they're due for one.
The coalition says that many people associate tetanus with rusty nails, but the toxin is actually
found in soil and dirt. Infection usually occurs when an individual is exposed to the toxin through a cut or puncture, such as from a rose bush or a cut from a garden tool.
Symptoms of the potentially fatal toxin include stiffness of the jaw, known as lockjaw, along with severe muscle spasms about eight days after infection.
A booster dose is needed about every 10 years.
Christina Myers is a reporter with The Record and the Burnaby NOW. Contact her at [email protected].
