‘My husband’s life is not disposable’: Ontario families worry about consequences of cancelled surgeries

Thousands of patients will have to wait even longer for surgery as Ontario once again directs hospitals to pause what it calls “non-urgent” procedures to accommodate the massive influx of COVD-19 patients due to the Omicron variant.

Kerrie, who CityNews agreed not to identify, said her husband, who was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2019, will be one of those patients.

This past summer, he was told the cancer had spread to his lungs, making him a stage four patient. While chemotherapy has been effective, his last CT scan still showed a growth on the lung.

“We’re meeting with the oncologist on Thursday and we were going to talk about whether they could surgically remove this last nodule,” said Kerrie. But now she worries surgery could be off the table.

She is one of many who fear the move to cancel certain surgeries could mean the difference between life and death for their loved ones.

“You’d want to make sure that these patients are getting the surgeries they need as soon as they need it so you’re not waiting until the situation gets worse. The malls are still open but we’re cancelling surgeries? I just don’t get it,” she said. “I just want [the government] to know my husband’s life is not disposable.”

The CEO of Ontario Health confirmed 8,000 to 10,000 surgeries will be added to the backlog every week during the directive. “It was a tough decision, a big cost, but something that is necessary given what we’re seeing in the numbers,” Matthew Anderson said during Monday’s announcement at Queen’s Park.

The province said the new measures will free up 1,200 to 1,500 additional beds. But in some hospitals, the issue is staffing them.

William Osler Health System, which operates Brampton Civic Hospital and Etobicoke General Hospital declared a “code orange” on Monday, due to an increase in COVID-19 patients as well as a lack of personnel.

Kerrie said families like hers are being left in the lurch. “I’m relatively young, I’m 39 years old. My husband is relatively young. He’s in his early 50s. There should be a lot of life left for us.”

The Canadian Cancer Society said delaying cancer care by even just a few weeks could increase the risk of death by about 10 per cent. “Because of cancer screening, surgeries and interventions essential to cancer care being postponed last year, and disruptions happening once again now, we are concerned that there could be serious impacts as a result of delays to cancer diagnosis and treatment,” Stephen Piazza, senior manager of advocacy told CityNews in a statement. “People facing cancer and their caregivers need assurances that their care will be prioritized.”

Among the surgeries affected include not only potentially life-saving surgeries, but those that enhance quality of life.

Maggie, who asked CityNews not to use her last name, said her husband was supposed to get a spinal cord stimulator at St. Michael’s Hospital this month due to scoliosis and chronic knee problems, which leave him “in excruciating pain every day.”

“We’ve been fighting for this particular procedure for well over a year. There’s been many delays in trying to get it and trying to find a doctor to do it,” Maggie said, adding the delays have also caused financial stress.

“We’re having trouble covering his pain medication that he’s on right now that gives some minimal relief,” she said. “His need is going up and we’re having trouble covering that so the spinal cord stimulator, the sooner [he can get it] the better.”

In a statement, the Ontario Hospital Association said in part, “These are not trade-offs any of us wanted to make, but they are necessary now to protect hospital system capacity and health human resources.”

During this latest wave of restrictions, the surgeries will be paused until at least Jan. 26.