Every day, we each take 20,000 breaths. Imagine struggling to take one breath at a time. That can be the reality for thousands of patients in southern Saskatchewan who rely on the respiratory services, provided by Regina’s hospitals, to help them breathe easier.
In 2015, Hospitals of Regina Foundation launched a respiratory campaign with a focus on raising funds for desperately needed medical technology to diagnose, treat, monitor and care for these patients. The Foundation partnered with donors who generously helped raise more than $800,000. These funds were invested in cough assist machines, spirometers to measure breathing, a video bronchoscope - which allows doctors to inspect airways and the lungs, and much more. Today, with the assistance of the new technology, people living with respiratory problems in southern Saskatchewan are enjoying better lives.
Cory Dumalski is one of those patients. At 27, he was diagnosed with sensitizer-induced asthma and had to leave his job as an electrical engineer permanently. He went on to spend a significant part of that year undergoing more testing and treatment at Regina General Hospital.
You never really think about how something as simple as breathing can take over your life,” Cory says. “Breathing is one of the most critical things someone needs to do. Without the local care I received, I would not be able to live a normal life as I do today.
In Regina’s hospitals, health-care professionals work together to provide specialized care to people with respiratory conditions like lung cancer, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or car accident victims that may have collapsed lungs.
“Leading-edge equipment allows for accurate measurements, and enables us accurately diagnose and treat all kinds of respiratory problems here in Regina,” says Matt Harrison, pulmonary function lab supervisor at Regina General Hospital.
Today, Cory is still mindful of the air quality in his environment and he has been off his medication for about two years. He remains thankful for the donors who helped the Foundation raise funds to purchase the technology that assists respiratory patients.
“They raised a lot of money for technology that is used in our hospitals. We should all continue to support them in any way we can because we all benefit,” he says.