Thwaites said the experience has been devastating and traumatizing, especially knowing the little time they had left with their loved one was restricted. After initially being refused, his wife was permitted to be in the transport vehicle, following advocacy by the family. 3, while being transported to a palliative care bed at St. Thwaites said her father was no longer fully coherent by the time family were permitted in, but he was able to speak with them for about a half-hour before slipping out of consciousness. "We had no idea that this was even a possibility." "We had no idea before then that the situation was this dire because there wasn’t enough people working to be able to tell us that," Thwaites said. "My mom should have been beside him that whole time."Īt midnight, the family received another call, this time asking about Jobse’s end-of-life wishes. "There are options to allow care partners to be there safely," she said. Still, he was not permitted to have a visitor, Thwaites said. However, her father’s condition was deteriorating, and by 9 p.m., staff informed the family Jobse had undergone a procedure and had internal bleeding in his esophagus. "And he asked us to leave the ER staff alone because they’re doing their best."Īlfred and Theresa Jobse were together 46 years. He also knew that we were phoning the ER for regular updates," Thwaites said. When he was able, Alicia Thwaites said her father tried to reassure them via text messages, as they waited desperately for hours outside the hospital for an update.
#Dying light only one person able to join full#
"I would have gone in there with full gear on, masks, everything, if they would have just let me in to be with him." "I would have done anything to be with him," Theresa Jobse said while holding back tears. The Stage 3 cancer patient spent a total of 13 hours in the downtown hospital without a single visitor - despite his entire family being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 - due to pandemic infection prevention protocols that restrict emergency department patients from having a support person at their bedside, unless they are nearing death. 2, after he collapsed at home.Īlicia Thwaites (left) and Cindy McKague (right) sit with their mother Theresa Jobse. The grieving family is calling for changes to hospital visitation policy so other patients do not have to suffer without the support and comfort of loved ones.Īlfred Jobse, 70, was taken by ambulance to HSC on Sept. DESPITE desperate pleas to be at her husband’s bedside during his 18-hour stay at the Health Sciences Centre emergency department, Theresa Jobse was only granted a few, fleeting hours with her partner of 46 years before he died.