Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Isabelle Granito is now fighting to make sure other families can mourn with dignity and respect.
Jacques Richard was 52 years old when he died suddenly of a heart attack last year.
"My son contacted me. He said, 'Dad is dead.' He said, 'Come fast. There's nobody to help us," she said.
Richard was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, where Granito found him, an hour after his death. She said her partner was lying on a stretcher in the resuscitation room.
"His body was all covered with biological fluids, and a tube was still there, and nothing had been cleaned," she said.
Granito has worked as a nurse for 26 years and said she was shocked to see his body had not been cleaned up. When she asked for a supervisor, Granito said she was told there was no one.
"I asked him, 'Please, can you send someone to clean it up?' They say, 'Yes, sure, I will send them. You'll go do it with her.' So I changed my husband with her," she said.
That was her last memory of her husband of 23 years.
"I've been robbed. I've been robbed this moment," she said.
Jacques Richard was 52 years old when he died suddenly of a heart attack last year (Handout photo)Granito said she suffers from post-traumatic stress and at not even 50 years old, she believes her career may be over.
"I'm traumatized. I haven't been back to work, and I'm not sure I can go back as a nurse," she said.
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson from the McGill University Hospital Centre wrote, "We are sorry to hear that a patient or family member has had an unpleasant experience at the MUHC."
Without commenting on the specific case, the spokesperson added, "it can also happen that family members enter the room when resuscitation efforts have just finished, and inadvertently find themselves face to face with a patient who has not been cleaned."
After losing the father of her children, Granito plans to file two official complaints: one with the MUHC and another with the Quebec Order of Nurses.
"I'm fighting for people like me who had no help," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Evacuation order issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as wildfire nears
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Tavares scores in OT, rescues Canada from potential upset in 7-6 win over Austria
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.
BREAKING Dr. Eileen de Villa, who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic, announces resignation
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.