Boy, 4, waits days for emergency elbow surgery at McMaster. Now, his mom is warning other parents

Late in the evening last month, Amanda Colyer rushed her four-year-old son to the emergency department at McMaster Children's Hospital (MCH).

Grey, Colyer's son, had fallen off his scooter and fractured his elbow.

Colyer, an Ancaster resident, was told he would need a 60-minute surgery. After surgery, Grey would be admitted for 24 hours to monitor his condition.

But five days later, Grey was still waiting to undergo surgery for his broken elbow.

Now, his mother wants to warn parents about long wait times for emergency surgeries.

I really just ... want parents to know what to potentially expect if their child breaks a bone," she said.

At McMaster Children's, overcrowding has led to a shortage of in-patient beds. In September, the hospital saw a historic high of 120 per cent occupancy for pediatric beds.

Wendy Stewart, a spokesperson for Hamilton Health Sciences, said the hospital usually sees a surge during the fall, but this year, the surge has occurred much earlier than in previous years."

The hospital also cited the ongoing health-care worker shortage and limited capacity" as reasons for surgery delays.

In response to Colyer's situation, however, Stewart said the hospital is deeply sympathetic to patients and families who are experiencing any delays in their surgical care."

Currently, patients who require emergent or urgent care are being prioritized, she said.

Colyer, who works at a local preschool, she said she had no idea" about the situation at the local hospital. Anticipating a six-hour haul at the hospital at first, she said, I thought we'll get a cast for the fracture and be home in the morning."

Almost six hours after waiting their turn in the emergency room on Sept. 20, Colyer found out her son would need minor surgery. This meant Grey was asked to refrain from eating or drinking so he could be ready for the procedure.

But the day passed, only to find out the surgery was pushed to the following day. This pattern repeated again for the next three days.

The problem here was the unavailability of an in-patient bed postsurgery, Colyer said.

Most of these days we waited until 8 p.m. to be told he would not be having the surgery that day and that we could then give him food and drink until midnight only to repeat the next day," said Colyer.

This was a truly traumatic and heartbreaking experience as a parent, not to mention what it has potentially done to my son's mental and physical health," Colyer wrote in an email to the hospital after her son's surgery.

At McMaster Children's Hospital, more than 60 per cent of kids are waiting too long for surgery and we're unable to ramp up surgical activity" due to staff shortages, said Stewart in an email response.

In addition, kids who returned to school are experiencing a surge in viral illnesses - putting more pressure on the emergency department.

While the shortage of in-patient beds is a problem, Stewart said, more beds alone will not solve the problem - we also need the staff and physicians to care for patients."

Three days into waiting, Grey finally started complaining about no food, Colyer said. She asked the doctors what their options were. One of the doctors said, Well, you could go home and wait if the stress is too much,'" she said.

He didn't ask to break his elbow ... it's just that the system as a whole is broken."

Grey had surgery on Sept. 24 - the fourth day into waiting. He returned home Sept. 25.

I know it was just a broken elbow," Colyer said. He's going to be fine in his arm. He's OK. But the system is a disaster and people need to know what to expect."

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com