Edmonton grandma overcomes broken pelvis, pneumonia and COVID-19

An Edmonton family is celebrating after their 80-year-old matriarch overcame a broken pelvis, pneumonia and COVID-19.

Colette Sevigny's recovery after five weeks in hospital also caught the attention of frontline health-care workers at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where she was given quite a send off on Thursday.

"There were staff wall to wall, all the way down to the desk," her daughter, Louise Sevigny, said in an interview Friday with CBC. "At the end of the hallway, right in the middle, there was my sweet mother, sitting in a wheelchair smiling and waving.

"There was not a dry eye, I don't think, in that hallway," she said. "The staff were cheering and clapping."

The family has nothing but praise for the health-care workers on Unit 34 who looked after Colette. 

The ordeal started on March 11 when she was exposed to someone with COVID-19 at Shepherd's Care Kensington, the continuing care facility where she lives.

Five days later, she was put into isolation. On March 23, she began to feel ill and the next day she had a bad fall.

The family was hesitant to take her to emergency but soon realized they had no choice.

"Once she was there and taking X-rays, we were told mom had a pelvic fracture from her fall and she would need to be admitted," Sevigny said.

Her mother was diagnosed with pneumonia and swabbed for COVID-19. Four days later, the test came back positive.

"That knocked the wind out of my sails," said Sevigny.

Her mom was put on oxygen but her condition continued to worsen. 

"She needed to go into an observation bed," said Sevigny. "At that point we were not allowed to go in and see mom."

Colette soon went from needing three litres of oxygen per minute to nine, and the family began to fear the worst. They decided to hold a candlelight vigil.

Friends and family from across Canada took part, including the 80-year-old's other three children.

"It kind of makes me cry," Sevigny said, choking up. "We were carried and supported in ways through this that we couldn't imagine."

Then they got another call and were told that mom had improved, that she go back to unit 34. There the hospital provided her with a tablet she could communicate with family.

"Slowly, every day, we saw little improvements and mom beat it, she beat it," Sevigny said. "And yesterday (Thursday) she was able to be discharged into my care." 

After five weeks in hospital, the mother of four, grandmother of eight and soon to be great-grandmother, was enjoying her freedom, and a barbecued hamburger with a side of salad.

"I'm just feeling so grateful for all the care that I got and the support from my family," Colette Sevigny said. СВС