When Langley’s Randy Terrace went to bed one night last summer, he never thought he’d be fighting for his life before morning.
But that’s exactly what happened.
Waking with arm and speech problems, Randy and his wife, Andrea, quickly realized he was having a stroke.
“I tried to get out of bed, but quickly realized my left arm was numb,” he said.
“I tried to tell my wife Andrea that I wasn’t feeling right, but my speech was slurred.”
Quick to act, Andrea drove him to the nearest hospital — Langley Memorial. When he arrived at the ER, Terrace underwent a CT scan soon after he was admitted.
But for an MRI, he had to be transferred to Peace Arch Hospital.
“The transfer was really stressful for me and my family,” he recalled.
“We wondered whether we should have just gone to Peace Arch in the first place.
And that’s not something that anyone should have to think of when there’s an emergency.”
After the MRI, Terrace was returned to Langley Memorial to begin his rehab.
“In the end, I can tell you that we’re very glad we went to Langley, as the care was truly great,” Terrace said.
“But it’s an aging hospital, with a growing population, and the hospital hasn’t been able to keep up with the times.”
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While the quality of care provided by the health care teams was “truly great,” the facilities and equipment are urgently in need of updating, Terrace said.
He was speaking up for the Emergency Response fundraising campaign to help build a new ER and an MRI suite.
“The MRI is a critical piece of equipment that our hospital needs to purchase in order to treat our patients when every second matters,” Terrace said.
The campaign was launched in May of last year with two significant donations — $2 million from the Skidmore family and $5 million from the Martini family.
These gifts kicked off the $15-million fundraising campaign — the largest campaign in Langley’s history — and started the foundation’s public fundraising efforts.
Since then, other donors has stepped forward, bringing the total raised to 85 per cent of the fundraising target. Terrace said he is grateful for his recovery.
“This experience has really shown me what is important in life,” he said.
“I’m now more relaxed, and I always take the time to smell the roses and enjoy all the little things that life offers.”
He said he hopes other Langley residents feel this same way too and contribute to the campaign.
“Because life is precious. Health is precious. And so are good neighbours and a strong community,” Terrace said.
“You can help ensure Langley Memorial is there for our friends, families and neighbours. You do that with every gift you make to our hospital.”
The new MRI will be operational in early 2020, while the emergency department is slated to open in early 2021.
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