On May 29 of this year, CHUM patient Michèle Lemieux reached the age of 65. This birthday was special for Ms. Lemieux, because just a few months previously she had suffered a medical emergency that could easily have ended her life.
Back home, in good health, after delicate thoracic surgery carried out by the specialized CHUM team, she remembers her one-month stay in the hospital and her eight weeks of convalescence with gratitude.
A hospital stay is often an unenviable ordeal, with frequent difficult moments. And yet Ms. Lemieux says she was impressed by the “openness, dedication, vigilance and humanity of these men and women who devote themselves to the health and well-being of their patients.”
She stresses the wonderful human moments she experienced from the healthcare team, in a climate of such confidence that she was able to focus her energy entirely on collaborating in her recovery. “They didn’t just save my life: they gave me hope for humanity,” she says.
Consequently, when Montréal was struck by COVID-19, her thoughts naturally turned to all the people she had known at the CHUM. “Their daily work experience has certainly changed greatly, and their levels of both worry and fatigue must be high. I wish them all the courage they need.”
Out of solidarity with these health professionals, but also out of gratitude for the life she can look forward to thanks to the surgery she had earlier this year, Ms. Lemieux has made a donation to La Fondation du CHUM.
“The life I have before me is a bonus that I owe to you.”
