Winnipeg Family Upset After Terminally Ill Mother Waits 20 Hours in Emergency Room

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A family in Winnipeg is unhappy because their mother, who is very sick with cancer, had to wait 20 hours in the emergency room.

Theresa Chanowski's mother, Colleen Titanich, has cancer and is now very sick. She lives with Theresa, but on Monday, Theresa called for an ambulance because her mother couldn't walk.

Theresa said she took care of her mother at home as long as she could, but then she had to call for help, which was a hard thing to do.

Theresa knew that when she made that call, her mother wouldn't be coming home.

When her mother got to the emergency room, the situation was very stressful. The room was crowded and noisy, with many patients and police.

Theresa's mother was in pain and confused.

Theresa was very upset and said, 'That's my mother, and you're not going to make her just a number and let her be in pain and hallucinating.'

Theresa said her mother's cancer had spread to many parts of her body, and she was treated very badly.

Theresa's mother was not considered a priority and had to wait for hours.

After a long time, her mother finally got a bed, but she had been in the hallway for 20 hours. She is 70 years old and very sick with cancer.

Theresa saw people coming in with minor problems, like a cold, and they were helped right away.

There were many patients with addiction problems or withdrawal symptoms, and Theresa thinks there should be a better system to help them.

After Theresa contacted the health minister's office, her mother got a bed and was moved to palliative care.

Theresa said it shouldn't have taken her making phone calls and complaining to get her mother the help she needed.

The president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, Darlene Jackson, says when patients have bad experiences, they might leave without being seen, which makes the problem worse.

Jackson said the situation is 'absolutely horrifying.'

When patients come back to the emergency room, they are often much sicker and need more care.

The Health Minister, Uzoma Asagwara, says fixing the wait times will take time.

Asagwara wishes the problems could be fixed quickly, but it will take time.

The wait times didn't become a problem overnight, and they won't be fixed quickly either.

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