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Too many still waiting for surgery

Valerie Crawford’s wait is almost over. The 76-year-old from Quesnel, B.C. was recently contacted by her surgeon, and the hip replacement surgery she has been waiting for since 2019 has been scheduled for the end of May 2021.   

She’s elated, but at the same time, she says she’s managing her expectations.   

“With the COVID-19 situation always evolving, who knows if it will be cancelled? But after two years of waiting, I’ll take any good news.”  

Valerie is on her last leg.   

Literally.   

Valerie and George Crawfords outside in the forest

“I’m hurting all the time, constantly. I must take so much medication and many naps just to get by. I forget what a good night’s sleep feels like.”  

For someone who used to walk every day, and who was thriving while staying active, it’s quite the contrast. She says she now feels like a shadow of her former self. 

She says her pain “has now gotten to the point where it feels like my right leg doesn’t belong to me. It’s just an extra limb I can’t control, that dangles. It’s just hanging there.” 

To see his wife in such a state angers her husband, George.  

“I have watched my wife go from an active senior to a person who has had enough with life. Her emotional, mental and physical wellbeing has drastically deteriorated.”  

George had recently started writing letters to seek help – to the B.C. Premier and to numerous health organizations.  

“When we saw articles in the papers about how the healthcare system has eliminated most of the backlog for elective surgery, it made us mad. We felt left out,” he says.   

While Valerie’s waiting seems to be finally coming to an end, many Canadians are still in pain, eagerly anticipating similar good news. 

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Join the Arthritis Society in calling on all governments to develop and implement plans to reduce surgical wait times and deliver quality healthcare during the pandemic. 

Take action and send an email to your federal and provincial elected representatives to show your support for our recommendations. You can also send a letter to your local newspaper focused on the need to address wait times for joint replacement surgery. 

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