SASKATOON - Bonnie Fortin and her family are truly grateful for the service they received from STARS. She was emotional in sharing her story of how the foundation helped save her life 10 years ago after giving birth to one of her four sons.
“I’m a past patient of the STARS Air Ambulance. It’s been 11 years, and I would call myself a veteran,” said Fortin, who became emotional when telling her story during the STARS media event on Wednesday, July 10.
“On Aug. 13, 2013, I had my fourth son. I had my three previous sons naturally and my third one gave me complications. We decided to go ahead and plan a scheduled routine cesarean section to avoid [further] complications.”
However, Fortin added, the doctor who assisted in the childbirth made a mistake and severed her internal iliac vein, a primary vein in the pelvis. She was in a hospital in Swift Current when the c-section was done.
“The doctors don’t have the tools to repair [the vein]. STARS was dispatched, and they flew me from Swift Current to Regina, where a specialist repaired my vein. STARS also brought me blood, as I was losing a lot of blood. If not for STARS, I would have died,” said Fortin.
She wants her story on how STARS’ medical service helps save lives to be out in the open. Her life-changing tale is one of the thousands of lives the air ambulance’s experts helped save, whether from other cities in the province, rural areas, or places of accidents.
“This service is for critically ill and injured people. They don’t get to tell their stories of survival, but with STARS, they have a better chance. It’s about getting where you need to go and having the right time. This lottery saves lives,” added Fortin.
Fortin encourages everyone to support the STARS Lottery Saskatchewan 2024 during the press tour event of the fully-furnished, 3,300-square-foot house in the idyllic Greenbryre community southeast of Saskatoon. There is also a dream home in Regina.
STARS Foundation Vice President Jeri-Lynn Johnston said all funds collected in the lottery support their operations in providing life-saving and critical medical care missions 24/7 anywhere in the province.
“The STARS lottery has been running for 13 years, and this is our largest fundraiser across the province, raising one-third of the funds required for our two bases to operate here in Saskatchewan—in Regina and Saskatoon,” said Johnston.
“Each year, STARS averages three missions daily, and we’ve reached over 947 missions this past year. We are thrilled to share that the 10,000 missions were reached just the past year since our [fundraising] inception in 2012.”
She credited the accomplishments to the community’s support through the funds raised from the annual lottery. She also thanked those who had already bought the tickets and reminded everyone to purchase theirs to get the chance to win other exciting prizes.
Johnston added that the provincial government provides half the funds to help staff get the best training and acquire the latest tools to provide life-saving medical care in their missions.
“Our staff train vigorously throughout the year. We have advanced care paramedics, advanced carriers and two pilots. From aviation to the critical care medical side, they undergo many hours of training each year to ensure they are cutting edge in our care,” said Johnston.
Last year, STARS' emergency link centre handled 37,365 medical requests or an average of 102 per day. The incident types vary from cardiac to accidents, which comprise 18 per cent of their critical care calls and 19 and 17 per cent for other medical needs and trauma.
The Saskatoon dream home is now open for viewings on these dates and times:
Opening Day: Jul. 11: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.;
Thursdays: Jul. 18, 25 and Aug. 1: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.;
Weekends: Jul. 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Regina dream home will open to the public on July 18 and will be available for viewing at the same times on Thursday evenings and weekends.
The lottery’s Early Bird deadline is July 11 at midnight, and ticket sales for the lottery close on Aug. 1 at midnight.
