When lung and heart disease combined to threaten Virgina Cross, she soon discovered the value of a vital first-line therapy that was provided to her local hospital by TB Vets.
During winter, Virgina was felled by both a heart attack and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), putting this beloved grandmother’s life very much in jeopardy. COPD alone can be life-threatening, at times causing bouts of breathlessness that may require immediate medical care.
In Virgina’s case, her frontline medical caregivers at Chilliwack General Hospital thankfully had access to the Respironics BiPAP machine. By delivering pressurized air, BiPAP gave Virgina the breathing assistance she needed while she was in severe respiratory distress. The machine also helped her avoid harsher medical treatments.
Donors like you helped TB Vets provide this equipment so patients like Virgina can receive the respiratory care they urgently need.
“I am so grateful for the doctors, nurses and equipment- they saved my life,” says Virgina. “This [respiratory] equipment gives healthcare professionals the tools to do exactly what they need to do.”
I am so grateful for the doctors, nurses and equipment- they saved my life. This [respiratory] equipment gives healthcare professionals the tools to do exactly what they need to do.
BiPAP’s availability at Chilliwack General and other Fraser Valley Hospitals saves countless lives, reduces lengthy hospital stays, prevents intensive care unit admissions, and saves thousands of health care dollars. That’s an impressive series of outcomes that donors can take pride in having accomplished through their support of TB Vets.
“The BiPAP machine is used very frequently in our hospital,” explains Dean Ramage, a Respiratory Therapist at Chilliwack General Hospital. “It can turn a patient’s distress around quickly and prevent the initiation of more invasive life support measures.”
People like Virgina survive life-threatening complications from respiratory distress because of TB Vets donors like you. With your thoughtful gesture, TB Vets can arm frontline medical heroes in the Fraser Valley, and the rest of BC.*
