Trevor Mahoney

Trevor Mahoney is an engaging man, a civil engineer who lives in Waterloo with his wife Stacey and two little guys, Brayden and Blake.  He’s a regular guy in the very best sense of the phrase, and he’s an MVP as far as the GGH Foundation is concerned.

Last July, Trevor was playing ball with his Slo-Pitch team at a park in Kitchener. It was the fourth inning, with a runner on third. Trevor hit a ground ball to the shortstop and was running hard to beat the throw. He figured he was safe on first. But the bag skated out from under him, and his right knee went in the wrong direction, dislocating the joint.  

The game was called, and Trevor went to Grand River Hospital by ambulance.  His knee was re-set, but it very quickly became apparent that there was a problem — an artery was pinched,  circulation cut off.  Without immediate action, Trevor might lose his leg.

Guelph General Hospital is the regional centre for vascular surgery, so Trevor was quickly moved to Guelph, where Dr. John Hobson performed a 5 ½ hour operation.  In the sixteen days that Trevor was in hospital, a Doppler ultrasound device was used several times a day to check on the blood flow to his leg.  And two weeks later, when Trevor was back for seven days with an infection, the device was employed again to monitor his circulation. Trevor recalls the sound of the Doppler as “the sound of me keeping my leg.”  

To demonstrate appreciation for the care he received at GGH, Trevor and Stacey decided to purchase an additional Doppler ultrasound for the ward where he spent so much time. They enlisted family and friends to contribute, and in October, they presented the Foundation with a cheque to cover the purchase.

Trevor wants people to know that the quality of the care he received was terrific.  He says, ”It’s not always glamorous, what they have to do, but it’s always done with compassion.” He especially remembers staff who came to visit him on his return to the hospital when they heard he was back.   

“Knowing that something you’ve done makes a difference,” is the way Trevor explains the donation.  He wants others to benefit from the same care and equipment that he was able to access so close to home.  “That sound the Doppler makes?  It’s the sound of recovery.” 

And that is what makes an MVP.