A woman in Nanaimo hopes no one will have to experience what she went through the night she couldnB次元官网网址檛 reach a 911 dispatcher on her cellphone.
Kathy Gillies and her husband Ken were driving to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in July after heB次元官网网址檇 been feeling ill for several hours.
B次元官网网址淲e were ready for bed and we got dressed again and I said, B次元官网网址榳e have to go to the hospital,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Gillies said.
Ken insisted on driving to the hospital from their home on Currie Place in the Hammond Bay neighbourhood, rather than wait for an ambulance.
It was 11:30 p.m. when they set out and there was little traffic on the streets. Just as they were about to pull out onto Hammond Bay Road, Ken lost consciousness.
B次元官网网址淚 was looking to see if the road was clear and, all of a sudden, we veered off onto the sidewalk and he was slumped over,B次元官网网址� Gillies said. B次元官网网址淣ow, at that point he was still breathing, but I had to get out of the car. I tried phoning 911, but I couldnB次元官网网址檛 get through to them and then I ran up to the corner and luckily B次元官网网址� I think he was a Skip the Dishes fellow B次元官网网址� pulled over and he tried on his cellphone. The dispatcher said, B次元官网网址榊ouB次元官网网址檙e cutting out. YouB次元官网网址檙e going to have to go somewhere else.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
The driver promised to come back after he successfully called 911. When he left, Gillies said she panicked.
A young couple driving down Vista View Crescent stopped and tried to help, but were also unable to put through a 911 call on their cellphone, so the husband also drove off to find a stronger cell signal.
B次元官网网址淏y that time, I guess both of them had got through to a dispatcher, but I donB次元官网网址檛 know how many minutes went by before any kind of service came to us,B次元官网网址� Gillies said.
By the time emergency services arrived, it was too late, and Ken Gillies died.
B次元官网网址淚t wasnB次元官网网址檛 that I didnB次元官网网址檛 try right away, but it kept cutting me out. I couldnB次元官网网址檛 get through,B次元官网网址� Kathy said. B次元官网网址淚 was in such a shocked state. At least I went out to the road, because I didnB次元官网网址檛 know what else to do.B次元官网网址�
The couple had been together for 50 years and married for 39 years. Ken and Kathy Gillies were both teachers. Ken spent most of his 38-year teaching career working in Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district.
B次元官网网址淲e just celebrated our anniversary July 7 and he died on the 12th,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 just donB次元官网网址檛 want anyone else to have to go through something like that.B次元官网网址�
The widow is now fighting to get better cellular service brought to the area, but cell tower approval is handled by the federal government, which decides if a new cell tower is necessary. Once approved, cellular service providers must submit cell tower proposals to the appropriate local government and go through a public consultation process.
Telus proposed a tower for the area in 2013, but was rejected by the city council at the time due mostly to public opposition, even though former Nanaimo fire chief Craig Richardson argued that the lack of cell service was impacting Nanaimo Fire Rescue communications.
The fire department worked around the deficiency by adding special radio equipment to its trucks and a radio communications repeater in the area, but more than 10 years later, cellphone users are still unable to get a signal in a number of areas in Hammond Bay.
Gillies said she has written to her MP, and her neighbour Ross White is also helping to advocate for a cell tower for the area. He pointed out many people now have gotten away from land lines and population is on the rise, and with that, there is increased potential for accidents and medical emergencies, meaning more calls for emergency services.
Better cell service for Hammond Bay appears to be in the works, according to Bill Corsan, the City of NanaimoB次元官网网址檚 director of corporate and business development, who was able to share a limited amount of information.
B次元官网网址淭he cellphone carriers are working on an application for a tower in the Hammond Bay area and a formal application will be submitted to the [Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission] this fall,B次元官网网址� he said in an e-mail.
He added that he couldnB次元官网网址檛 comment on the proposed site as the city isnB次元官网网址檛 involved in those negotiations, but said city council and staff are well aware of the limited coverage in the Hammond Bay area and B次元官网网址渉ave contacted the carriers who are also aware of the issue and we believe they will have a solution soon.B次元官网网址�
Kathy said when someone is in a vehicle, they have nothing but their cellphone to try to get help.
She wishes she and her husband could have had just a few more years together.
B次元官网网址淚n my case, IB次元官网网址檓 going to live with not knowing whether my husband could have been saved,B次元官网网址� she said.
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