“This government needs to answer why they chose to ignore the modeling, drag their feet and ignore the experts all summer,” said Meili. “Instead of racing to drop restrictions and hitting the golf course, the Premier and Minister of Health should have been doing everything possible to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and ensure our healthcare system had the capacity it needed to provide urgent care to people like Stephanie.”
Stephanie Brad’s condition has left her living with unbearable chronic pain that requires prescription painkillers to manage. Stephanie’s medical condition has also created financial hardships on her husband and four children, while her eldest daughter has been required to act as a caregiver and homemaker rather than enjoying the life of a normal 18-year-old. Despite her surgery being deemed essential, Stephanie’s scheduled October surgery was cancelled due to the healthcare system crisis caused by the government’s failed containment of the fourth wave. This is the second of her scheduled surgeries to be cancelled, the first one having been cancelled in April 2020.
“The actions of the government cancelling surgeries has left me in limbo not knowing when I will get better,” said Brad. “My kids don’t get to spend the quality time they need with their mom because I spend most of my days laying in bed in pain. ‘Mom is too sick’ is a daily part of their lives and this could all be solved by having my surgery”.
Since this surgery was cancelled, Stephanie has required several visits to the ER. With no new surgery date in sight, Stephanie’s chronic pain and spasms show no sign of letting up.
“People deserve so much better from their government,” said Meili. “With the surgery backlog growing, health care staff burning out, and experts warning of the threat of a fifth wave, people like Stephanie are counting on the Sask. Party government to learn from their mistakes, take some responsibility and provide the leadership that has been lacking since the onset of the pandemic.”
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