Cards of cheer
Wife makes appeal to lift spirits of Summerside man in intensive care unit
For a man who took great joy in being independent and forging new friendships, being bedbound in hospital with no set date for discharge is hard.
That’s the situation Garfield MacLean finds himself in, so he’s asking for a little help.
MacLean’s mind is sharp, and he’s even able to crack some jokes. But, his body can’t quite keep up. He has muscular dystrophy, a disease that causes weakness and loss of muscle mass over time.
“He’s had it all his life,” said his wife, Lori MacLean. “But last year he had major surgery and was kept in hospital for over three months and lost his ability to walk (as a result of the disease).”
MacLean has been a patient in the intensive care unit of Prince County Hospital now for several weeks while recovering from major lung surgery.
“He ended up getting a serious lung infection because his muscles weren’t able to take deep breaths to get out this cold, which suddenly hit him. His lung capacity dropped, and they had to operate to clear out the infection,” she said. “We didn’t think he would make it.”
After surgery, MacLean’s daughter made him a small card that was placed on the plain and sterile hospital wall for him to see and brighten his situation.
“Our daughter, Carlie Plooster, likes to draw. She drew him a little card and when he saw it the next morning he said he wanted cards from anyone, all over the world. So that day I went and got the P.O. Box address, and made a plea online that night,” explained Lori.
The public is kindly asked to send letters, cards, and postcards to brighten MacLean’s day while he recovers in hospital.
“He was an active, normal, working person. And we didn’t think this would happen to us until we were 70, not 50,” said Lori of her husband who recently marked his 52nd birthday in the intensive care unit with his devoted wife of 15 years by his side. “He’s my rock. He keeps me grounded and I don’t know what I would do without him.”