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| - January 3rd of this year my family received a phone call to go and wait at the Foothills Hospital as a kidney might becoming available for my Dad. He was entering his 8th year of being on hemo-dialysis.
In the early hours of January 5th he received a kidney transplant at this location. This hospital performs kidney, pancreas, skin, heart and lung transplants (liver are done in Edmonton).
Due to issues involving immune suppression & rejection a standard of extreme cleanliness is required. This was met!
The Doctor's and Nurses were extraordinary. Hard-working, kind, competent and patient. There is a lot of information the family needs to absorb in a short amount of time (while tired) and the staff was friendly and accommodating.
The food was what you would expect from a mass-serving situation but better than other hospitals we have experienced.
Visiting family: There is a pharmacy, cafe, gift shop available on the main floor of the Tom Baker Building. If your "person" is in for long, it makes financial sense to bring your own drinks and snacks. It is like a small city and can be confusing to get around initially. Calgarians are friendly and will gladly help if you ask to be pointed in the right direction.
I am taking one star off for two reasons: 1) The bathrooms inside the patient's rooms could be kept a little cleaner. 2) A conversation overheard next to us - where a social worker treated a man who had recently moved to Calgary and had a heart attack - very rudely. I regret not speaking up at the time on his behalf.
I have accompanied my Dad to this hospital for transplant purposes, dialysis, check-ups, ER visits...and think highly of it. It has literally saved his life twice and the Transplant Team are living Hero's.
Calgary should sleep safer knowing health care like this is available.
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