Diagnosed with scoliosis as a young adult, Barbara Crawford was barely able to walk or stand despite receiving an operation in her 20s for the condition, an abnormal curvature of the spine. There were five damaged discs in her back, pressing on nerves and causing pain and numbness in her legs. Her wish of sharing a mother-son dance at her son’s upcoming wedding felt impossible until Trillium Health Partners’ spinal surgeon Dr. Hui Li made it happen.
Mississauga Hospital is her family’s hospital. It’s where her parents received care over the years, where her first spinal surgery took place, where she gave birth to her two children and, years later, where her mother received treatment for cancer.
Barbara chose to retire early to care for her mother and spent time in the ICU during her mother’s final days where she was touched by the compassion of the hospital volunteers, “who took the stress off a horrible situation.” She began volunteering in 2008, first in post-op where she first met Dr. Li, then moving to the ICU where she would talk to and comfort the families, especially those waiting while their loved ones underwent heart surgery.
Barbara and her husband Glenn also donated to the hospital. “There’s not enough money in the world to support the hospital system, so I’m happy to help out,” she says. After her husband passed away suddenly in 2019, she was moved to support a new cell-phone charging station in the ICU in his memory, to help families stay in touch during a health crisis.
Her close personal connection to Trillium Health Partners meant that Barbara had full trust in the health care teams at Mississauga Hospital. Dr. Li said she needed a laminectomy and spinal fusion to address the nerve pressure causing her leg pain and she was operated on before Christmas 2021, during COVID. Thanks to Dr. Li, “a brilliant surgeon and one of the funniest people,” she was up and walking with assistance the next day for what would be months of recovery. She was also excited to return to volunteering at the hospital when COVID restrictions lifted.
Her son James got married in October 2022 and he says, “I grew up dancing around the kitchen with my mom to our favourite song, Mambo #5. My wish was that we could tear up the dance floor. It meant more than I can put into words after losing my father. The small things mean the most and Dr. Li and the hospital made that happen.”
Barbara was on her feet that special day from early morning to late that night, including a first dance with her son. She has nothing but praise for Dr. Li and the staff at Trillium Health Partners who made that day possible. What’s next? “I’m looking forward to a special Mother’s Day this year and eventually becoming a grandmother,” she says with a twinkle.
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