Cecilie's Story
Cecilie had an unforgettable experience at Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) that left her incredibly grateful. From the moment she arrived, she was struck by the exceptional care and dedication of the entire staff at SMH.
Cecilie's journey at SMH began on a frightening night when she experienced a medical emergency at home. "It was September 21, around 10:15 pm I had just sat down in my living room and I experienced this blow, like an explosion in my chest,” she recounted. “I didn’t know what was happening, I couldn’t breathe. I looked at my husband and told him ‘9-1-1’, and he of course called the paramedics and they took me to the hospital," she said.
“After stabilizing me, the medical team discovered that I had a collapsed lung, and I was then transferred to a room where I met Dr. Ko. I underwent several X-rays, and since I lived nearby, Dr. Ko suggested that I could go home and return the following day,” Cecilie recounted.
After returning throughout the rest of the week for more X-rays, a discovery was made. “On Friday morning, during triage and following the X-rays, it became evident that my lung wasn't expanding as it should. I had to undergo a CT scan, which revealed a couple of tears on the upper part of the lung and I stayed at Stevenson for six days after that.”
Dr. Keshoofy and Dr. Ko, in particular, left a lasting impression on Cecilie with their thoroughness and kindness. "Dr. Keshoofy was very nice, professional and thorough - an excellent doctor, and Dr. Ko was the first person I remember meeting and he was absolutely amazing," she recalled.
Cecilie couldn't help but praise the entire staff, saying, "It didn’t matter what role they were in, everyone there was smiling, happy and doing great work. That includes the cleaning staff and the dietary staff delivering meals to patients. Everybody did an incredible job. Everyone was exceptional at Stevenson," she continued. "There were certain staff members I saw so often, they treated me like they were seeing an old friend."
As Cecilie reflected on her time at SMH, she couldn't help but feel immense gratitude for the exceptional level of care she had received. "I wish I could show all of Simcoe County how well this place runs, despite the challenges and conditions at the hospital. Some days the hallways are filled with sick people who you have no room for, but you make do. You put curtains up, you try to give patients their dignity and privacy, they’re not forgotten about and everyone gets taken care of, no matter how little room the hospital has," she expressed.
"The hallways were crammed with all kinds of equipment because they are just bursting at the seams, but none of the staff there were affected by it. They did their jobs and did them better than at any other hospital I’ve ever experienced," Cecilie remarked.
Reflecting on her time at Stevenson, Cecilie expressed, "It didn’t matter whose shift it was, [the staff] were all cut from the same cloth, which is very unusual. Typically, when you have revolving staff and shift changes, you’d expect to run into at least one person having a bad day, but nobody at Stevenson had a bad day. It didn’t matter if it was two in the morning or how busy it was, everyone was happy, kind, caring, and compassionate. I didn’t come across one cranky person. Not one."
Leaving the hospital, Cecilie was deeply moved by the kindness and support she had received. "On my last day at the hospital when I was leaving, every staff member I encountered, I wanted them to know how special they are, and how much I appreciated everything they did for me, their kindness and their patience," she said. “There were people who went out of their way on the day that I left, nurses who weren’t even on shift who came up to me and knew who I was and they were so happy for me. Everything about the entire hospital was so wonderful.”
“Nobody [at SMH] was there doing their job because they had to, they were there because they care about the patients and this community,” Cecilie said. “Every single staff member cared, and it was indescribable. The team at Stevenson Memorial needs to be recognized for how well-run the hospital is, and the care received. They go above and beyond."
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Stevenson Memorial Hospital is a community hospital located in the Town of New Tecumseth that offers 38 inpatient beds and a range of outpatient, diagnostic and treatment services, including general surgery, obstetrics and dialysis, as well as a 24/7 Emergency Department (ED) managing almost 35,000 visits a year.
SMH was accredited with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada in 2022, the highest standing in the health care quality and safety program.
Do you have a patient story you’d like to share? Please contact Communications@smhosp.on.ca
