A short followup on “Let's Call her Lea"

A short follow-up on “Let's Call her Lea, (Not her real Name)”

By Kendall Worth!

Robie St Entrance QEII Hospital Halifax.

You may remember this story, where, recently,  I talked about how one of the major issues she was facing is having to go into the hospital, for surgery. The good news in this update, is that through people I have interviewed in the past and kept in touch with, from my days of writing for the Nova Scotia Advocate, I was able to make an arrangement so that she has a friend to accompany her home, from hospital. Community Services paid for the cab to get her home  from the hospital on  Tuesday August 30th, 2022 – the day she had her surgery.

In the original story I pointed out: “Living her life without a good relationship with family, and having no friends or social contacts means she must put off a surgery that she is advised to get, but is also advised to have someone on hand to help her. She has been advised to get surgery, soon, for the last couple of years – but there are barriers, explained in this article. The big issue is having someone to accompany you home after surgery which is expanded in the link. Having no one to help you get home from hospital or stay with you after surgery is an ongoing issue for people on social assistance, who have no family and few friends.”

She is happy and excited that things worked out, and, that she could get the surgery.

In this updated story, there is good news.  Stories about many welfare recipients having surgeries cancelled because they have no one who cares about them enough to help them after surgery, is heartbreaking.  Since I became an advocate I have myself, offered to accompany people home for the hospital or use my own limited resources to help them make other arrangements.

With the help of some contacts I have made over the years,  after encouraging Lea to get the Surgery,  I was able, to find a way to have someone accompany her home, following Surgery. I did not want to watch her not ever get the surgery, she needed, done, especially because what she required would, if not attended to, eventually be life threatening. (although she does not want to disclose the type of surgery)

She is so happy that things worked out. She got her surgery and someone did accompany her home in a cab, as the OR staff required.  She looks forward to, and dreams about the day that she will be working again. For the next 6 weeks she will be getting her rest and taking it easy as ordered by the Doctor. She does not know where life will lead after she is fully recovered, but she considers the surgery completion, her first step to someday going back to work.

However, she also told me she is still going to have her mental health issues to deal with, which the surgery will not resolve.

Lets hope for the best for her moving forward.