Heartfelt thanks to Mater
One of the Mater Private Hospital Townsville’s first heart bypass patients 20 years ago is still giving back to those who saved his life.
Stanley Cronin, 78, said the nine-hour surgery had changed his life and he could not thank staff enough for the care he received after his surgery.
In 2015, Mr Cronin’s wife Thelma died from an aggressive brain tumour, aged 64. She too was a patient at the Mater.
“She was given the utmost care and told she had about three to six months to live,” Mr Cronin said. “She ended up living another nine-and-a-half years after her initial diagnosis and we were able to do 32 cruises during that time together. We would go to hospital together regularly for appointments, check-ups, scans and procedures.”
After his wife died, Mr Cronin wanted to give back to the hospital and show his appreciation. For the past seven years, he’s been a volunteer at the hospital.
“Volunteering has given me a purpose,” he said. “I have formed some amazing friendships during my time here as a volunteer. The funny thing is, I help people who are in my age group. When I help someone who might need a wheelchair, I think to myself ‘maybe they should be pushing me!’ ”
Mater Private Hospital Townsville co-ordinator David De Witt said Mr Cronin was an integral part of a team of almost 50 volunteers at the hospital. “Stanley really manages to relate to the patients at Mater. It’s something special for the people who are undergoing procedures similar to what he has gone through,” Mr De Witt said.