It was the fall of 1992. For Michael Sproul, it was supposed to be a simple hop from the boat to the dock.  However, the small, foot-and-a-half distance proved more dangerous than it looked when Michael’s right foot twisted painfully beneath him.  As it turned out his ankle was not just sprained, but broken.

Something as common as a broken bone soon turned into an uncommon journey through the hospital.  Along with the broken ankle, a clot developed in Michael’s leg.  Clots have the danger of breaking loose and causing life-threatening blockages in the heart or brain. So a trip to Victoria Hospital’s emergency room on South Street in London, Ontario turned into a longer stay as medical staff worked to safely bust the clot.

Then things got complicated.

Michael experienced ongoing pain and a series of clots in his right leg, and was placed on blood thinners.  Then on New Year’s Eve in 1993, he felt an odd sensation in his leg, as if someone had turned on a tap and water was flowing.  Another trip to the emergency room led to the discovery that Michael had internal bleeding that had caused “compartment syndrome,” a condition where the muscles, tissues and blood vessels in a localized area have been compressed due to pressure.  He was rushed to the operating room where they removed a clot the size of a fist, and had to remove a good deal of his calf with it.

The emergency procedure left the leg with a major “dent” as Michael puts it, and this active sailor wouldn’t wear shorts again until a few years later when Dr. Chris Scilley, a plastic surgeon at London Health Sciences Centre, was able to reconstruct his calf.

Michael’s challenge with the condition still persists.  Late in 2007, he recognized that unsettling sensation of a tap being turned on in his leg.  He travelled from his current home in Bayfield, to the hospital in nearby Goderich.  There, doctors working in consultation with London Health Sciences Centre were able to stabilize the situation.

Michael is grateful for the ongoing care he has received from London Health Sciences Centre, and still travels to the city to see his doctor at one of the hospital’s family clinics. 

“My doctor has always been there for me,” Michael says.

Now, Michael wants to ensure that a wonderful resource like London Health Sciences Centre has the ongoing support it needs to help others in the region. 

He remembers the extra care and compassion of the staff during his visits and stays in the hospital.  He tells of how a particular doctor remained late, after the end of his shift in the emergency room to ensure Michael’s care was immediate and seamless. He is grateful for the time and care Dr. Scilley took in reshaping his damaged calf. Michael also remembers the care his attending doctors and nurses took in ensuring his extended stays in hospital were as comfortable as possible.

Since Michael had invested in a business partnership to provide for his retirement, he feels that he can contribute more through his estate than he can today. As a result, Michael became a London Health Sciences Foundation “Donor for Tomorrow” and made provisions to support the hospital through his will.  This way he can say thank-you the way he wants to, ensure others receive the same great care he has experienced, and maintain the stability he built for his retirement.

By letting London Health Sciences Foundation know about his intentions, the foundation is able to say thank you, to ensure Michael’s future gift is used in the manner he wishes, and Michael is kept informed about important news, discoveries, and medical firsts at London Health Sciences Centre.