Dr. Michael Heffernan

No one ever wants to be a hospital patient. But if you ever become a patient, I believe you are lucky to have the Oakville Hospital here to care for you.

I’m a cardiologist at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. I was born in this community and I’ve chosen to live here. I’m honoured to be able to serve patients in my hometown. You may already know that many of the nurses, physicians and other staff ready to serve you, are your neighbours –people who also live here. I’m pleased to tell you that every day I see how our staff serves patients with skill and compassion. I also see the care they show for family members worried about a loved one. We are all members of this community! I’m also happy to assure you that one reason we will always be there for you is due to the outstanding donor support given to Oakville Hospital. Former patients and friends of the hospital make generous gifts to provide quality care to you and your neighbours.

Let me tell you one story of a life saved, thanks to the dedication of our staff and the equipment you helped to buy. I’ll call this man, John (to protect his privacy). John was watching his grandson play hockey one day when John collapsed with cardiac arrest. Luckily he was rushed to our hospital, where emergency care started immediately. One of the many interventions we used to save his life was a special cooling blanket. It lowers body temperature to 32%, a great advance in emergency heart care discovered in the past few years. After a scary 24-hour wait, John recovered. Within three days he was entertaining his grandson at the hospital. I’m sure John told him how exciting he found the game! John went on to have by-pass surgery, and he’ll get to see many more of his grandson’s games. You and other generous donors played a role in this success story.

These personal victories happen every day in our community, thanks to donors like you. John’s cooling blanket was bought by generous people like you. You’ve also helped to buy other critical equipment such as an ECG machine and a Critical care ventilator. Each piece of equipment makes a difference to every family that has a loved one who needs this special care. But as you know equipment wears out. And as our community grows we need more medical equipment to serve you and our community.