Pictured: Kathy and her husband, Ian, with their seven grandchildren
Kathy MacCalder suffered from debilitating epileptic seizures for much her life, but since undergoing surgery at the QEII Health Sciences Centre more than 20 years ago, she’s been seizure-free.
As a way of expressing her ongoing appreciation and support, Kathy has been making monthly donations to the QEII Foundation for over 18 years in hopes of helping others.
“The QEII gave me my life back and since they did that for me, I figured I would support them,’’ says the grateful patient turned monthly donor. “It feels good to give back and help other people along the way with the donations.’’
The Orangedale, Cape Breton resident suffered from epileptic seizures since birth. The seizures mysteriously stopped once she started school, but returned with a vengeance after the birth of her second son. At one point, she was having seizures up to six times a day, weighed less than 90 pounds, was unable to work or drive, and required someone to be with her at all times.
Up until 2000, Kathy’s medical care had been at home in Cape Breton where, over the years, she met with several different specialists and tried many different types of medication in a desperate attempt to find a solution, but nothing worked. She was eventually referred to a neurologist at the QEII, which serves as the region’s specialized care centre for neurosciences, where she also consulted with other specialists in the field.
After a few months of appointments and tests, Kathy underwent surgery in March 2002 and has been seizure-free ever since which she says has changed her life in ways she never thought possible.
The 68-year-old mother of four and grandmother of seven suffers from fairly significant memory loss, but is now enjoying all of what life has to offer with her husband and biggest supporter over the years, Ian.
She encourages others to also consider making monthly donations, if they’re able. Although she’d “love to be able to give more”, what she does give each month “comes straight from the heart”.
As she explains, “I’m so grateful for the care I received through the QEII – this is the least I can do.”
Kathy is one of 500 monthly donors – our QEII Change Makers – who are making a significant impact on health care year-round through their support of the QEII Foundation.
Over the years, Kathy’s monthly donations have helped fund the highest priority needs at the QEII, which has included many areas of care at Atlantic Canada’s largest and most specialized adult hospital. One of those areas includes the QEII’s expanded Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) which has been treating patients since 2017.
Outfitted with cutting-edge technology and equipment funded by QEII Foundation donors, the EMU provides 24-hour monitoring to evaluate, diagnose and treat seizures in patients living with epilepsy. This innovative space was constructed, designed and customized to create a safe and seizure-friendly environment – enhancing the comfort and overall experience of epilepsy patients and their families. Increasing the capacity of the unit from two beds to four has significantly reduced wait times and enabled the QEII to treat and diagnose more epilepsy patients each year.
The generosity of donors, like Kathy, is felt with every new patient treated in that donor-funded space. It’s a full circle moment for Kathy, who’s pleased that a portion of her past monthly gifts have supported the EMU considering her long and difficult struggle with seizures prior to surgery.
“It’s definitely an area close to my heart,” says Kathy. “It feels good to help other people like me – every little bit helps.’’
Learn how you can become a QEII Change Maker here. To discover more about the QEII’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, check out our video unveiling this donor-funded space from 2017:
