Because life doesn't give us warnings

(As Previously Published by the Red Deer Advocate)

I've said it before, and I’ll keep saying it: people are the heart of my work, and I truly love it. I love the conversations, the stories, the moment someone realizes you’re not just listening – you’re hearing them. That’s the best part of what I do, hands down.

But there’s a theme I keep hearing lately. A thread that shows up in story after story. And to be honest, it stays with me. It settles in your throat, hard to swallow.

It usually starts with someone talking about a loved one, a spouse, a child, sometimes themselves. And the story begins the same way:

“It came out of nowhere.” “We didn’t see it coming.” “They were healthy.” “There were no signs.”

Then comes the stroke. The heart attack. The cancer diagnosis. The car accident. A birth with complications. A normal day that turns into the worst day.

Not because of poor choices. But because life changed, and it changed in an instant. That’s what hits me every time. No one thinks it will happen to them. Until it does.

No one plans to need an ICU bed. Or emergency surgery. Or a neonatal team. But when the moment comes, and for many of us, it will, we need our hospital to be ready. We need trained staff. We need the space. We need care. It is a non-negotiable reality.

Because here’s the truth: you don’t get to schedule your emergency.

Health care is not something other people use. It’s not a special service for the few. It’s all of us. Every single one of us. So when we talk about expanding our hospital, we’re not just talking about construction. We’re talking about our lives. Our families. Our futures. You don’t need to put yourself in someone else's shoes; you can wear your own. This is about whether we get the care we need, when we need it most.

And we can’t wait for someone else to step in. Healthcare challenges won’t wait for perfect timing or policy cycles. While the system works toward long-term solutions, we’re stepping up now to meet urgent needs, invest in better care, and support our community today.The Foundation is helping to support the future of health care in this region – and you have a golden opportunity to be a part of it, because that’s what Red Deer does. We don’t wait on the sidelines. We show up. We pitch in. We look out for each other.

Because the next time I hear one of those stories, the ones that start with

“We didn’t see it coming"

I want it to end differently. I want it to end with:

“I didn’t know how much we’d need that hospital, until we did.”

And I want it to end with gratitude. With relief. With pride. In what we built together. This is our moment. Let’s do something that matters.