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This weekend, a critically ill patient in a Canadian hospital is miraculously alive — while the president of the hospital wound up stuck in quarantine.
Sounds… weird, right?
Nope, it’s actually amazing
Time for a Thread.
(via @Goodable)
Sounds… weird, right?
Nope, it’s actually amazing
Time for a Thread.
(via @Goodable)
Over the weekend, Windsor Regional Hospital ran out of a rare drug that a critically ill patient needed to survive.
To be clear, it wasn’t Covid related and it’s not unusual for hospitals to run out.
Usually, they just ask the nearest hospital, but this time, they couldn’t.
To be clear, it wasn’t Covid related and it’s not unusual for hospitals to run out.
Usually, they just ask the nearest hospital, but this time, they couldn’t.
In all of Ontario, there was only one single hospital that had it, but they only had a single dose, and the patient needed several.
So they started looking across the border.
The closest hospital was in Ann Arbor, an hour away. Easy to pick up, right?
Nope, not with Covid.
So they started looking across the border.
The closest hospital was in Ann Arbor, an hour away. Easy to pick up, right?
Nope, not with Covid.
The Canada-US border has been closed for months.
Essential workers can cross, but pharmacists and couriers don’t count.
The hospital could’ve sent a doctor or nurse, but then they’d be stuck in mandatory 14-day quarantine when they came back – leaving the hospital understaffed.
Essential workers can cross, but pharmacists and couriers don’t count.
The hospital could’ve sent a doctor or nurse, but then they’d be stuck in mandatory 14-day quarantine when they came back – leaving the hospital understaffed.
So they came up with a plan.
The President of the hospital is a dual citizen. Legally, neither Canada nor the US could refuse him entry.
So he packed up his car on a Sunday afternoon and drove into Michigan for, literally, a drug run.
And this was no ordinary drive.
The President of the hospital is a dual citizen. Legally, neither Canada nor the US could refuse him entry.
So he packed up his car on a Sunday afternoon and drove into Michigan for, literally, a drug run.
And this was no ordinary drive.
This is a map of Covid in Michigan.
Michigan gets more cases in a single day than all of Canada. David, the president, was driving into a virtual covid warzone!
Luckily, the Ann Arbor hospital had everything ready for him — but then, there was another problem.
Michigan gets more cases in a single day than all of Canada. David, the president, was driving into a virtual covid warzone!
Luckily, the Ann Arbor hospital had everything ready for him — but then, there was another problem.
Anyone who re-enters Canada, whether they’re a citizen or not, has to quarantine for 14 days. No school, no work, and no exceptions.
The border officer told David he couldn’t go back inside his own hospital – even to deliver life-saving medicine.
So they came up with a plan.
The border officer told David he couldn’t go back inside his own hospital – even to deliver life-saving medicine.
So they came up with a plan.
It was like a scene from a cartoon.
David drove by the hospital, very, very slowly, staying in his car the whole time.
A hospital staffer came out, David rolled down the window, and handed off the medicine.
The staffer then ran upstairs to give it to the patient.
Teamwork!
David drove by the hospital, very, very slowly, staying in his car the whole time.
A hospital staffer came out, David rolled down the window, and handed off the medicine.
The staffer then ran upstairs to give it to the patient.
Teamwork!
By this point, the patient was in critical condition.
The drugs arrived just in the nick of time.
It’s a good example of how deep – and vital – the Canada-US relationship is.
It literally saves lives.
The drugs arrived just in the nick of time.
It’s a good example of how deep – and vital – the Canada-US relationship is.
It literally saves lives.
David is now at home, under mandatory quarantine. He sent me this selfie with his dog, Yogi.
He can’t go back to his own hospital, where he’s the President, for at least 11 days.
When he does, he’ll know there’s at least one patient who is alive thanks to him.
He can’t go back to his own hospital, where he’s the President, for at least 11 days.
When he does, he’ll know there’s at least one patient who is alive thanks to him.
When I asked David how he feels, this is what he told me.
"You do what you gotta do."
He now has the singular distinction of not only helping save a patient's life, but making a legendary drug run south of the border in the process.
"You do what you gotta do."
He now has the singular distinction of not only helping save a patient's life, but making a legendary drug run south of the border in the process.
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