By Jaryn Vecchio
A Prince Albert man believes an overwhelmed provincial health-care system is to blame for his wife’s death.
Elaine Gassner passed away on Nov. 5 after spending nearly the last six months of her life in different hospitals.
Her husband, Randy Zawislake, told paNOW everything started in April when Gassner stubbed her toe while getting out of bed. At the time, she was receiving care at home as she had suffered a minor stroke about a year earlier.
After about a week, Gassner’s toe wasn’t getting any better, so a nurse was called in. It was recommended they go to the Victoria Hospital’s emergency department.
Zawislake said that’s exactly what they did, waiting around 10 hours to see a doctor.
“The doctor at the hospital said she’s doing OK … they gave her more antibiotics and sent her home,” he said.
After another week and a half, Gassner’s toe got worse. Once again, a nurse was called in and recommended they call an ambulance so Gassner could be treated at the hospital.
“It was the same thing again,” said Zawislake, who noted Gassner was given more medication and was told she was most likely suffering from nerve pain.
It was then that the couple decided to see their family doctor. As soon as they arrived, they were told her foot was gangrenous.
Gassner was eventually admitted to a Saskatoon hospital. Over the next six months, she underwent multiple operations to try and get the blood flowing into her foot, but Zawislake said two of his wife’s toes were amputated.
Eventually, her other leg started suffering from similar problems as it appeared the infection had spread. Her stomach, which was cut open during one of the operations, also started to swell up.
Fast forward to November, when Gassner underwent surgery on her stomach in Saskatoon. Zawislake said they were told it was a simple operation.
Two days later, Zawislake, who was in Prince Albert at the time, received a call that Gassner had taken a turn for the worse and that he should get to Saskatoon as fast as he could. A short time later, Gassner passed away.
“When I left (Saskatoon), she was in good spirits,” Zawislake said while holding back tears.
He was told the stress of the last several months became too much for her and played a part in her death.
In his opinion, Zawislake believes his wife would still be alive if doctors at the Victoria Hospital completed additional tests on her toe before discharging them.
“All we did was sit in the waiting room for 10 hours and when we finally got in (we were told), ‘She’s OK, here’s some more pills (and) more painkillers. Go home,’ ” he recalled.
Zawislake said he doesn’t believe anything malicious was done. He thinks the doctors were most likely overworked and were trying to help as many patients as fast as they could.
He has filed two complaints with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The first was sent after Gassner was first admitted in Saskatoon and the second was sent after her death.
paNOW reached out to the SHA, which said it couldn’t comment on the situation due to privacy reasons.
“The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) extends its condolences to family and friends on the death of their loved one,” the statement said.
“We take all concerns from patients and their family members very seriously. Anyone who has concerns over their care experience is encouraged to contact a client concern specialist. Through this patient-centred service, we can work with the patient and their family members through a respectful and confidential process to find out how we can help.”
Moving forward, Zawislake has to have an open-heart surgery. Because of the experience Gassner had, he’s anxious about his recovery.