So thankful

Dear editor:
Consider this. An 86-year-old woman, with growing back pain from a deteriorating back, slips and falls over the Christmas holidays.
Now the pain is intense and she is put in the hospital, where the pain is brought under control by pharmaceuticals. After 10 days, she is released to her apartment but the symptoms arise again and she is in extreme pain.
Returned to the hospital, and after a week of pain management, she can hardly walk. The decision is made to fly her 200 miles by air ambulance for an MRI.
The results confirm a slipped disk and that an operation is the best option for relieving the problem. Flown again 200 miles on a Saturday and she has the operation immediately.
As per protocol, she is returned to her home hospital a few days later for recuperation. Although still in significant pain, it would seem that the slipped disk problem has been corrected.
A successful outcome after a month in hospital, air ambulance flights, and an operation. Total cost . . . $55 for the ambulance ride!
I am so thankful for our Canadian health care system, which is based on need, not greed.
Thanks for looking after my mom so well!!!
And much appreciation for the nurses, doctors, and support staff of La Verendrye Hospital and the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital who have been so kind.
(Signed),
Gladys Kerr
Fort Frances, Ont.