Because WestView Was There, She Is Too.

I believe, at my core, that healthcare is one of our most basic human needs. It’s not optional; it’s essential. And I believe just as strongly that where you live should never determine the quality of care you receive. 

Local healthcare matters. Because when something goes wrong, nothing else matters. 

Healthy people build healthy communities, but in critical moments, it’s access to care close to home that makes all the difference. 

At this stage in my life, I feel that deeply. I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a daughter to aging parents. I stand in the middle of generations, supporting, worrying, and hoping that when care is needed, it will be there. 

That belief is what brought me to my role at the WestView Health Foundation. Because if you want better, you have to do better. Foundations play a critical role in supporting our healthcare teams, helping ensure they have the tools, resources, and support they need to care for our community. 

I have experienced WestView Health Centre, Stony Plain Hospital, many times over the years, as a patient, a parent, and an advocate. And every time, I’ve seen the same thing: people who show up with skill, compassion, and heart. 

But nothing prepared me for what happened last month. 

I was at the hospital for meetings when my world stopped. 

My two-day-old granddaughter had stopped breathing. 

There are no words for that moment. Just fear. Urgency. A helplessness no family should ever feel. 

She was on her way to a routine public health appointment, just seven minutes from the hospital, when everything changed. My son called 911. My daughter-in-law, in a moment no parent should ever face, began CPR in the backseat of their car. 

They didn’t stop. They kept driving. 

Seven minutes that felt like a lifetime. 

When they arrived, everything happened at once. Fire crews pulled in. Doors opened. And a WestView nurse, Rhonda Volk, ran out to meet them, taking my granddaughter into her arms and rushing her into the code room. 

And then, our team took over. 

In those moments, nothing else mattered but saving her life. 

They worked with urgency and precision, but also with compassion. They treated her like she was their own. They stabilized her, called the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care) team immediately, and began running tests and imaging, doing everything possible to give her a chance. 

Every second mattered. 

Within about 35 minutes, the neonatal transport team arrived. 

And I know this with absolute certainty: 

Those first moments saved her life. 

If that hospital hadn’t been there… 
If those nurses and doctors hadn’t been ready… 
If my family had to drive even a little further… 

I don’t know if she would be here today. 

But she is. 

She is here. 

Because WestView was there. 

This is what local healthcare means. It’s not abstract. It’s not theoretical. It’s not debatable. 

It’s a nurse running toward a family in crisis. 
It’s a team ready without hesitation. 
It’s minutes that make the difference between heartbreak and hope. 

It’s a life saved. 

My granddaughter’s life. 

And it’s why I will continue to advocate, to give, and to support the WestView Health Foundation. Because behind every investment in healthcare is a life, a family, a moment that cannot be replaced. 

Our community deserves that. 

Every family deserves that 

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible WestView team, Dr. Crawford, the nurses, Rhonda Volk, Cara Rodden, Ash Begum, and Deb Berke. Your skill, compassion, and unwavering dedication in those critical moments will never be forgotten. You gave our family a gift beyond words.

The Brent Family