In late 2022, long-time Regina business owner and entrepreneur Sandy Archibald went from running her family business to fighting for her life in a matter of weeks.

It started quietly, with what seemed like a stubborn case of pneumonia. It lingered through the holidays, a time that should have been filled with joy, but instead was overshadowed by fatigue, uncertainty, and a growing sense that something was terribly wrong. “I was losing weight, feeling weak and just getting worse,” Sandy recalls. “I knew something wasn’t right. I just didn’t know how bad it really was.”

Navigating a health system that was still overwhelmed by the COVID pandemic, appointments were difficult to come by. But thanks to the persistence of her sons and daughter-in-law, Sandy finally secured an urgent appointment with a respirologist in mid-January 2023 at the Regina General Hospital.

They discovered she was gravely ill and needed immediate care. Doctors diagnosed her with myocarditis, sepsis, and dangerous blood clots in her lungs. Her condition wasn’t just poor, it was critical. “It was a game of whack-a-mole,” Sandy recalls. “Every time doctors would treat one thing, something else would pop up.”

Sandy spent months in the hospital as medical teams worked tirelessly to stabilize her. She says her unstable health was very hard on her family, who almost lost her twice. By May, Sandy was finally well enough to go home. But the woman who walked out of the hospital was not the same. Frail, exhausted, and visibly worn, she faced a long and uncertain road to recovery. When she finally began to find her footing, her health collapsed again.

In July, Sandy went back to the hospital, this time with a failing heart valve. She underwent open-heart surgery, which included a tissue valve repair and pacemaker implant. Sandy was placed in a medically-induced coma for a week and spent nearly a month recovering in hospital.

“That surgery put me on the road to getting my life back,” she says. “I was able to slowly return to the things I loved, and more importantly, focus on what really matters most to me, which is my family.”

Sandy’s experience left her with a profound sense of gratitude, not just for her survival, but for the care that made it possible. She asked her two doctors, Dr. Stephen Korkola, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and her respirologist, Dr. Zenon Belak, how she could give back and make an impact. They directed her to Hospitals of Regina Foundation.

Together with her husband, Sandy made a significant donation to the Foundation. Their support was directed to cardiac care and respirology, two areas that literally saved her life.

“A week before my surgery, my youngest grandchild was born,” Sandy shares. “That gave me extra motivation to fight for my health. I can’t say thank you enough to the doctors and nurses who cared for me over those many months.”

Today, Sandy is healthy and thriving. “I’m nearly back to where I was before I got sick, and it’s all thanks to the exceptional care I received.”

“We are happy that Sandy is back to feeling like her best self, thanks to the life-saving care she received from the medical teams in our hospitals,” says Lisa Green, Hospitals of Regina Foundation senior vice-president. “Through her generosity, Sandy is helping the Foundation make sure others across southern Saskatchewan have access the best care possible, right here at home. We are grateful she shared her story and is also supporting the Foundation’s work.”