Keith and Jack moved from Manitoba to Vancouver Island in 1985, and enjoyed an active 37 years in Victoria. But their world changed in April 2022, when Jack, a retired RN, had to drive Keith to Victoria General Hospital, because Keith was experiencing severe back pain, and numbness in his hands and feet.
No longer able to breathe, Keith was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit and placed
on a ventilator.
He was diagnosed with the Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), in which the immune system attacks the nerves, often resulting in paralysis. For several weeks, Keith was paralyzed from the neck down, solely relying on the ventilator to keep him alive.
“I knew that if the ventilator stopped, I was going to die. It showed me how vulnerable I was, and how important that equipment was.”
Donors like you to TB Vets Charitable Foundation are playing a critical role by providing our hospitals with life-saving respiratory equipment like the ventilator
that saved Keith’s life.
After four months, Keith was finally discharged from the hospital. Today, he is
home and doing well, walking up to half a mile each day.
“Keeping the equipment up-to-date, modern, and functioning properly is so important,” says Keith. “It saves lives.”
Your generosity is helping British Columbians like Keith recover and return to their families. Please consider donating to TB Vets in support of critical respiratory equipment today.*
