Finamores grateful for excellent care

Chris and Rob Finamore, lifelong Guelphites, have been married for 39 years. Both were born at the Guelph General Hospital. Their kids were born at Guelph General Hospital, and their grandkids were born at Guelph General Hospital. So, the Finamores know our hospital. But this past summer, they became much more familiar when Rob suffered two health crises within one week.

On June 13th, Rob experienced heartburn that wouldn’t go away. Chris drove him to the ER and had to leave him because of the COVID-19 protocols. She soon heard from staff that Rob had suffered a mild heart attack and needed a stent to improve blood flow. He stayed in the hospital for six days before being transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener for the specialized surgery.

Back from Kitchener, Rob settled down at home to recover. But within the week, severe abdominal pain took him back to the ER where staff discovered a bleeding aneurysm, a serious problem that needed immediate attention. Vascular surgeon, Dr. Jayaram, reinforced Rob’s aorta, and Rob spent another ten days at GGH, in the ICU and Step Down Unit on the sixth floor.

Describing his encounters, Rob says that the staff were terrific, the care was excellent, and his surgeon was “absolutely fabulous.” He was impressed by how clear and complete the explanations were for treatment options and how personable and careful the daily routines were.

According to Chris, Rob “raved” about the nurses on the 6th floor. And Chris is equally complimentary of the staff. She says that she was frantic not being able to be with Rob through the crises, but she was calmed by the way that staff were willing to talk with her daily —”give her the low-down” — keeping her up-to-date on his progress.

The Finamores say that they can’t describe how grateful they are. In Rob’s words, “We are blessed to have such knowledgeable and caring staff who know how to look after someone with serious health issues, and we are lucky to have a hospital like GGH right here in our community.”

Rob and Chris already have Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital in their wills because of the care their daughter received there 37 years ago, but they decided to add Guelph General to their wills because of Rob’s experience.

If you’d like to leave your legacy in our community with a gift in your will, contact the GGH Foundation or go to the web site page: https://gghfoundation.ca/giving-in-wills