After two life-changing surgeries that restored his health, George Pick felt inspired by the kindness and superb care at St. Paul’s Hospital that had made his recovery possible.
In 1998, George was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The condition was well-controlled at first, but soon devolved into a second inflammatory bowel disease – Crohn’s. Then, when medications stopped working, George’s constant abdominal pain led to frequent visits to the Teck Emergency Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital, where he first met Dr. Manoj Raval in 2011.
“I found him to be really patient and very understanding,” George recalls. “He was very good at explaining everything. So many surgeons are under a lot of time constraints, but if I had questions, he would wait, stop, and answer.”
Dr. Raval recommended surgery to remove George’s large intestine. It was a big step, but one that George trusted completely because of Dr. Raval’s skilled expertise in colorectal surgery, along with his caring manner.
“He explained, ‘If you can do this surgery, you will have to manage the ostomy. But 98% of your pain will be gone. And he said it with a lot of conviction, too,” George adds.
George was thrilled to discover that Dr. Raval’s prediction was correct. But his health journey at St. Paul’s wasn’t complete just yet. George was also living with troublesome pain in his sinuses and nasal passages, so he was referred to Dr. Amin Javer at the St. Paul’s Sinus Centre. A minor nasal surgery completely fixed the problem, leaving George with a deeply positive impression about the care delivered at St. Paul’s Hospital.
“I’ve had some doctors who seem to be burnt out, or they like doing surgery but not the patient consultation,” he says. “It wasn’t like that with Dr. Javer and Dr. Raval. I liked that they were both very serious about their professions, and that they seemed to be genuinely interested in patient care.”
George’s husband, Santi, was equally impressed.
“I remember the first time George had an operation, I was waiting in the hallway and people kept coming out and checking on me,” Santi says. “I was not only amazed by the level of care they provided for George, but also how they supported me as his family.”
From grateful patient to annual Lights of Hope donor
For George, donating to St. Paul’s Foundation was the most natural step to show gratitude for the urgent care he received – and the continued support he gets from St. Paul’s IBD Centre to help him manage his conditions.
“If you’ve been to a place like St. Paul’s Hospital and been through as many surgeries as I had in a relatively short amount of time, you begin to realize that it could have gone a lot worse,” he points out. “I was grateful that this facility was even here. I’ve heard that a lot of people from all over BC come down to St. Paul’s Hospital to receive this excellent care, so I wanted to give back.”
In 2017, George delivered his first donation by hand to St. Paul’s Foundation for Lights of Hope, which makes possible innovative research, compassionate care for patients, and life-enriching activities for residents in long-term care. Since then, he’s contributed annually to support a bronze star that honours the legacy of his grandparents, Otto and Marie Pick.
“I like the tradition of it. I like the fact that when the hospital puts its lights up, the holiday season’s around the corner,” he says. “It’s something to look forward to, and I think the community looks forward to it as well.”
George and Santi have found new purpose in paying it forward and investing in the future of health care. Through the Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Foundation, Santi and George have allocated $500,000 to the new Jim Pattison Medical Campus. George’s parents, Martin and Denise Pick, have made an additional $500,000 contribution, also from the Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Foundation. These generous gifts will amount to $1 million of support for the Digestive Health Centre and the Clinical Support and Research Centre on the new campus.
Each year, George and Santi stroll by the shining Lights of Hope display to snap pictures and think about all the people whose lives will also be forever changed by the exceptional care at St. Paul’s Hospital.
“It feels amazing,” George says. “It’s nice to look up there and see my grandparents’ name on the star, because they would have really liked what we’re doing.”
Hope is a journey. Your donations to Lights of Hope support our present and build our future.