The 16th annual GALLD radiothon fundraiser runs this Friday, Dec. 3 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Pattison Media radio stations in Prince Albert. (Facebook/Victoria Hospital Foundation)

By Teena Monteleone

Hospital fundraiser

Give a Little Life Day to support ‘greatest, most urgent needs’ of Victoria Hospital

Dec 1, 2021 | 12:00 PM

Dr. James Harris has been a family physician in Prince Albert since 1983. While he has dedicated his life’s work to helping others, he never thought it would be he who needed help as a critical care patient.

Last December he tested positive for COVID-19, likely from contact with a COVID patient. He thought he’d have a mild disease, but without warning his condition very suddenly and drastically worsened and he was submitted to the ICU at Victoria Hospital.

“My family was in a constant state of fear that I might not survive and around Christmas Day, they were told that they should come to say goodbye to me because there was concern that I would not live throughout the day. I remained on a life support ventilator for 25 days,” Harris said.

But miraculously, he started to improve and was eventually discharged home in February. Harris said his ordeal helped him appreciate how vital the hospital and the Victoria Hospital Foundation (VHF) is to the community.

“Prince Albert is not the size of Saskatoon or Regina, which both inherently have more advanced technology. But I recognized that it is the generous donations from our community that allow the Victoria Hospital Foundation to even the playing field,” Harris said. “One of the main reasons our excellent staff can deliver the kind of care that I received is because of the gifts from people like you that help put the right tools in their hands. Tools such as monitors, pumps, beds, diagnostic equipment and more.”

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In years past, the annual Give a Little Life Day Radiothon fundraiser for the hospital foundation has focused on a particular area of the hospital or piece of equipment. Over the last 15 years, the campaign has raised $6.7 million. This year, however, they’ve decided to focus on the hospital’s greatest needs.

“Donations will allow the Victoria Hospital Foundation to look at the list that never gets any shorter. We can simply say to you, here’s where we’re using your dollars to the best of our abilities to make sure that people receiving care in our Victoria Hospital are getting the best possible care thanks to the generosity of people,” said Lyle Karasiuk, chairman of the VHF board.

Those needs include every area of the hospital that has been impacted by COVID-19. Karasiuk said it helps to know the money raised won’t be pooled into some other facility somewhere else in the province.

“Whether it’s a contribution through Give a Little Life Day or a memorial or estate donation, or a specific donation because a loved one received care and someone felt generous and wanted to help, that money is staying right here in Prince Albert,” explained Karasiuk.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, Harris said it’s that health care close to home is critical.

“I had my long two months experience in hospital – a hospital everyone knows is there and we want to hopefully avoid having to use its services. But, the reality is that everyone in the city, at some point, unfortunately, are inevitably going to need to rely on what’s there and the expertise and equipment,” Harris said. “Everything that’s there tends to be out of mind if people don’t think about it that much because it doesn’t impact them directly. But the day it does, you want it to be there and to provide the services that it can.”

The 16^th annual Give a Little Life Day radiothon runs live this Friday, Dec. 3, from Mann Northway GM and will be broadcast on Power99 FM, 101.5 Beach Radio and 900 CKBI from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Residents are encouraged to stop by Mann Northway to make a donation through a special drive-thru set up, donate online at www.helpthevic.ca or call 1-855-816-LIFE (5433) during the broadcast to make your pledge.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow