Let’s Chat: Can you believe this?

By Linda Tooth on March 18, 2026.

Someone once said, “The best part of your story is when it changes.” So here are the changes to my story.

Things have changed since last week. At the time I wrote my column regarding what your heart needs to be healthy, my partner was awaiting another trip to the Foothills Medical Centre where he was going to receive bypass surgery to repair the blockages they said he had.

On Tuesday, Mar. 10 at about 10:30 a.m. he called me, and I just knew by the tone of his voice something was wrong. He told me he was being discharged from Medicine Hat Regional Hospital where he had just spent the last nine days after his heart attack.

It takes a lot to make me speechless as many of you know, but that phone conversation did it. How can a person who has suffered a heart attack and is awaiting bypass surgery be discharged? I walked into the hospital wondering if this is the health-care disaster everyone has been talking about.

Before I got to his room I stopped at the desk to ask what was going on. I was in such a fluster I am not sure what position this person had.

Anyway, they read the report from the cardiac team in Calgary who meet every Tuesday and Friday morning to review files of patients requiring their care.

It was decided that because my partner is still awaiting the results from the biopsy from his liver resection surgery last month, they would not be doing his bypass surgery at this time, or ever.

Ever? I am not sure why the cardiac team in Calgary could not have had a phone or Zoom call with the oncology team in Lethbridge during the time he spent in hospital. Maybe someone from AHS could explain that.

The doctor on duty told him he was being discharged, the pharmacy team came to see him regarding new medications he was to take and the nurse stopped by with paperwork he needed to review before being discharged.

We left in a state of disbelief. We went and got his new medications and I took him home. We both collapsed when we got home.

During those nine days he was in hospital our collective mental health tanked and that, folks, is very scary. We saw very sick patients and heard some of their stories. I even heard a doctor suggest to a family member of a patient to get Power of Attorney in place.

We shared our stories with anyone who asked, and we were continuously living the thought that he may not be coming home. Emails to our lawyer to sign part of our estate planning were made, calls to our families with updates, and trying to work was a lot.

Thankfully, we both work for great companies that understood what was happening. People ask how we are doing since he was discharged. I can honestly say I have gone from extreme exhaustion to just being tired. I feel that is an improvement.

My partner’s overall health I feel has improved since he has been home. I even told him the other day he was a pain in my backside and we both laughed.

That is something we have not done for a long time, and it felt good. He has a lot of appointments coming up, some here and some in Lethbridge for biopsy results, and I am not sure what is going to happen next. We will just take each day as it comes.

Have a Meowtastic Day and keep reading!

Linda Tooth is manager of philanthropy and volunteer engagement, YMCA of Southeastern Alberta