The PCH Foundation has launched the 2019 Vital Signs Appeal supporting the greatest needs of the hospital in Summerside.
A large portion of the goal is dedicated to replacing all of the cardiac monitors at PCH.
“As a major part of the PCH Foundation’s Vital Signs Appeal this year, we will be talking a
lot about the heart,” said Prince County Hospital Foundation managing director Heather Matheson.
“When we think of the heart and what it symbolizes in our lives, we think of many things. The heart is the engine that sustains life; it also represents love for the people in your life and your hope for their good health and happiness.”
The replacement of the cardiac monitors at PCH is at the “heart” of the campaign as these devices touch nearly every person admitted to PCH. The cardiac monitors represent $420,000 of the $2,214,700 needed to provide up-to-date medical equipment for the patients at PCH this year.
The complete list of priority medical equipment needed to keep “care close to home” can be found at pchcare.com.
Angie MacCaull can attest to the value of not only cardiac monitors, but care close to home.
“I just wanted to be home,” says MacCaull.
“I have a whole new appreciation for life. If the services and equipment were not available at PCH, my problem may not have been detected. If I’d have gone on that cruise, I don’t think I would have lived. People with a heart like mine don’t usually get a second chance.”
- Angie MacCaull
This was not the feeling she expected when she and husband, Mike, set out on vacation. A series of heart episodes led to a quick trip back to P.E.I. from Miami and her admission to PCH. After much testing, it was determined through an echocardiogram that MacCaull had an aneurysm in her heart and would need a dye test. While awaiting the test, she spent two-and-a-half weeks on bed rest in the Prince County Hospital.
“The care here was amazing,” she said, “It’s good to have (PCH) here.”
The subsequent test revealed eight blockages in her heart – she dubbed it the “Mother of All Widowmakers.”
In New Brunswick, she received a triple bypass and had her aortic root replaced.
“I have a whole new appreciation for life,” MacCaull said softly. “If the services and equipment were not available at PCH, my problem may not have been detected. If I’d have gone on that cruise, I don’t think I would have lived. People with a heart like mine don’t usually get a second chance.”
The PCH Foundation needs help to ensure patients like MacCaull have all of the medical equipment they need. Donations are now being accepted at pchcare.com, by calling 902-432-2547 or at the PCH Foundation office in the lobby of the hospital.
