Patient Story - Sheryl Boucher
Sheryl Boucher, a vibrant 68-year-old from Angus Ontario, returned home on October 14, 2024 feeling unwell after attending her niece's wedding in Halifax. She had insisted on going, despite her husband's cold looming as she prepared to leave. The wedding was a joyous occasion, and the first day in Halifax was fine; however, by the wedding day, a cough began to develop, and it only worsened. Tired but determined, she endured through the reception but ultimately left early, hoping it was just a cold.
The next morning, despite her discomfort, Sheryl was grateful that her niece and her new husband were flying back with her to Ontario for their honeymoon. The flight turned out to be miserable, and upon returning home, Sheryl barely had time to say goodbye to her niece. “I got home, I barely got in the house, I didn’t even say goodbye to them…I changed my clothes, took a shower and barely made it to bed and it started to hit me. I think my strength kept me going when I was travelling home, I just kept telling myself ‘just get me home’.”
However, despite getting home and resting, her health only spiraled downward. "I just kept getting sicker and sicker," she recounted. Coughing incessantly, Sheryl found her condition deteriorating rapidly. The brain fog she experienced felt so severe that she couldn’t recall how long she had been home before it became necessary to call for help.
On a particularly overwhelming day, with her sons by her side, Sheryl broke down with exhaustion. “I told them to call 911. I told them I didn’t want anyone to drive me because I really thought I was going to die,” she explained, believing that only an ambulance could ensure she received the care she needed without incident.
When the paramedics arrived, she was running a high fever, and her journey at Stevenson Memorial Hospital began. Her treatment commenced in the emergency department, until staff diagnosed her with COVID-19. The gravity of her condition led to her self-isolation.
Sheryl was given a large room to isolate in, and she soon learned her husband would be admitted for COVID-19 as well. Sheryl bantered with the medical staff, even laughing about the potential chaos of sharing a room with her husband: “When you find him a room, it better not be with me,” Sheryl joked.
However, despite their well-established partnership of 50 years, fate had other plans, and they ended up sharing a room, leading to more light-hearted exchanges during a serious time.
Sheryl found solace in the nurses who remained patient and kind amid relentless demands. They managed to bring a sense of normalcy to her situation, sharing laughs and stories.
“The staff started calling me Chatty Cathy because I talk a lot,” she laughed, revealing her way of coping with the long hours and isolation. Her playful spirit attracted the staff's attention, including a security guard she enjoyed talking to. "I can’t remember the security guard's name, but he was so muscular and tall…I was teasing him one night and said, you know, SWAT is on right now, you should go to LA and be on the show. We joked around and laughed, and every night he would come by and open the door a bit to poke his head in and ask how I was doing and he would chat with me for a minute or two."
Their friendly banter uplifted her, as did the conversations she had with the nurses about their lives and cultures. "The nurses were great, when they’d come into the room and take blood, we would talk about other things, outside of being in the hospital and being sick and that was comforting."
Despite her health situation, Sheryl took the time to appreciate her meals, surprising herself with the quality of the food and expressing her gratitude in the form of thank-you notes to the food service team. She learned that connecting with others could provide comfort and levity during challenging times.
Reflecting on her experience, Sheryl drew from her late mother’s wisdom: “If you don’t talk to people, it’s an awful lonely world.” Her time at Stevenson Memorial Hospital became a testament to the power of connection, compassion, and humour, even amidst the darkest of days. “Give everybody a smile, and they may give a smile back. You never know what people are going through.”
