Believe In the Magic of Giving

After spending days with excruciating back pain, Owen decided it was time to visit the Haliburton Highlands Health Services emergency department. This set the wheels in motion for a three week journey he did not expect to take this September. He shared his grateful patient story with us. Owen and the emergency doctor discussed the pain...was it a kidney stone, bladder stone, gallbladder? An ultrasound revealed a fuzzy lump in the bladder. Something that needed further investigation. Owen was sent home with pain medication, an appointment for another ultrasound and emphatically urged to see a urologist. Owen’s family doctor stepped in with a urology referral, a visit to a cystoscopy clinic and finally surgery. It was determined that the mass was a cancerous tumour. Thankfully, the cancer cells are low grade and Owen’s prognosis is good. In his own words, he is thankful for “that little ER ultrasound” otherwise his bladder cancer would have gone undetected. Owen has committed to making an annual donation to the HHHS Foundation to show how grateful he and his family are for the timely, exceptional care he received. With upgraded tools and equipment, doctors in Haliburton County can make better and faster diagnoses for people like Owen.