Very Important Patients
It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you are. If you need critical care, our mission is to be there for you in whatever capacity we can help. Every one of our VIPs — Very Important Patients — has a unique story of how STARS was their best hope in a worst-case scenario. We are honoured to share some of their inspirational stories here.
If you are one of our VIPs and would like to meet your crew or share your story, please email us at vip@stars.ca.
Charlotte McHugh
One foggy August morning, Charlotte McHugh left the family farm for her nursing job when a one-ton truck barrelled through a stop sign and into the driver’s side of her car.
Marc Issler
STARS was just three years old when Marc Issler’s life was saved. “The results of what was provided to me are obvious — I’m still alive."
Brodie Richardson
Harvest was in full swing when the first explosion hit. “I was caught in the driveway when I heard a whooshing sound. I tried covering up the best I could, and I got hit with this fireball.”
Breanna Booy
Playing on a swing set: it’s a favourite pastime for many six-year-olds. Breanna Booy was doing just that when the set collapsed, sending the wood frame crashing down on her head.
Jason Lunn
Daddy-daughter dances are special for most families, but there wasn’t a dry eye at graduation when Jason and his daughter Cadence took the floor.
Milt Mastad
Milt Mastad was returning home after a day of work when his daughters were about to take their colts out for a ride. He joined them atop Partner, a young horse he’d recently been training. Partner began bucking, and the rolling landscape, coupled with the lack of daylight, spelled disaster.
Bonnie Fortin
Moments after Bonnie Fortin met her fourth son, Emery in August 2013, her health went downhill rapidly. A scheduled C-section had led to profuse bleeding.
Victoria Adriaansen
Seriously injured in a rural motor vehicle accident, Victoria Adriaansen's best hope lay in a flight to a critical care centre in Winnipeg.
Chad Rogers
When Chad was run over by a tractor and 907-kg baler, the closest hospital didn’t have the specialized tools needed to save his life. And because he was working in a rural location, time wasn’t on his side either.
Michelle Salt
On June 27, 2011, Michelle’s enjoyment of a summer evening ride with friends came to an abrupt halt when she lost control of her motorbike and hit a guardrail going up the Cochrane Hill.