A Gift in Your Will

With Our Will, We Can Make A Significant Impact

“It was the most frightening event I have ever experienced,” recalls Christine Silvester.

Peter, her husband of 35 years, had collapsed on the floor, visibly in distress, unable to breathe and gasping for air.

Peter was rushed by ambulance to the Owen Sound Regional Hospital. “I begged him not to die on me,” Christine says. “Even though Peter was in relatively good health, I really thought this could be the end as I knew he would not survive very long without the ability to breathe.” Peter was diagnosed with an esophageal twist and wouldn’t have survived if a BiPAP machine were not available on the spot. The BiPAP helps force air into the lungs and reverse the twist.

“When we learned that the BiPAP was provided by community support, we were taken aback,” explains Christine. “It made us think more about what we could do to give back.”

With our Will gift, we hope to touch other people’s lives the same way our hospital touched ours. This year, we will celebrate our 41st year together. Knowing our time on earth has made a difference – it just does our hearts good.” – Peter and Christine Silvester, Annan Ontario

With our Will gift, we hope to touch other people’s lives the same way our hospital touched ours. This year, we will celebrate our 41st year together. Knowing our time on earth has made a difference – it just does our hearts good.” – Peter and Christine Silvester, Annan Ontario[/caption]

“This hospital put its arms around us, protected us and looked after us,” says Christine, who was impressed by the staff’s teamwork. “The technologist who did my tests came back to check on me,” recalls Peter. “Nurses would come by even after their shift had ended to see how I was doing. That’s really going above and beyond. That’s real caring.”

“We can’t buy a piece of equipment ourselves but, with our Will, we can make a contribution which, when pooled with others, can make a significant positive impact on the quality of healthcare in our community,” explains Peter.

As far as Christine is concerned, there couldn’t be a better investment. “Since that event six years ago, day surgeries and routine tests have taken us to the Owen Sound Regional Hospital and, each and every time I leave Peter at the hospital, I feel like I am handing him over to people who really care about him. We’re on a first name basis with doctors here. It’s just ‘home’ to us,” she says. “We’ve lived all over Canada, and it’s the hospital that keeps us here in Owen Sound. We want to be close to such an amazing hospital as we age.”