This year, Gerardus “Jak” Jak learned just how quickly life can change. A man who had always managed his diabetes carefully and stayed active, Jak’s health took a sudden turn after he contracted the RSV virus. His blood sugar spiked, and a diabetic ulcer formed on his heel, one that rapidly worsened. “Everything happened so fast,” he said. “One day I was fine, the next my heel was falling apart.”
After ten months of treatment at Queensway Carleton Hospital, the infection still wouldn’t heal. Jak faced a life‑altering decision: continue battling a dangerous wound or undergo a leg amputation. “Two days after the surgery, I felt 100% better,” he said. “I was a new man.”
But recovery meant more than healing, it meant transitioning into a new way of living. Jak and his wife are now selling their beloved log home and searching for a wheelchair‑friendly bungalow. “I never thought I’d be learning how to transfer from a wheelchair to a car at 70,” he joked. “But here we are.”
His humour, sharp, dry, and constant, has been one of his greatest tools. He jokes about how the only skiing he was able to do last winter was watching the Olympics and comments on his new appreciation for the Para-Olympics.
Through Queensway Carleton Hospital’s Hospital to Home Program, Jak receives coordinated wrap‑around support at home for eight weeks with the possibility of an extension of an additional two weeks. Carefor provides his nursing care, while partner organizations deliver physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and personal support services. Together, they form a seamless team helping him regain strength, independence, and confidence.
His Carefor nurse, Sarah, visits him twice a week to manages his wound care and communicates updates back to the hospital team. However, you can see the visit is more than just checking on his leg. They joke throughout the visit. “A big part [of the visit] is helping keep [a client’s] spirits up,” says Sarah.
Jak is also working with his physiotherapist to get a prosthetic leg so he can get back on the golf course as soon as possible.. “They push me hard because they know I want to walk again. I want to golf again,” says Jak.
Jak’s journey isn’t just about leaving the hospital, it’s about stepping into a new chapter with determination, humour, and the support of a coordinated care team committed to helping him reclaim his life.
“I’m lucky,” he said. “Some people come [to the retirement home] and this is where they stay. But I have things I still want to do, and this program is helping me get there.”