A longtime Medicine Hat radio host Kim Johnston says he never imagined he’d be forced off the air by a medical crisis that left him struggling to speak. But after months of jaw tremors and trouble forming words, Johnston finally received an MRI — and with it, a diagnosis.
“In October of this year it revealed a growth at the base of my brain, and it’s called an arachnoid cyst,” Johnston said.
Johnston booked a neurosurgery consult immediately, but he says the wait time he was given was far longer than expected. While the Cumming School of Medicine outlines a five-day window for a neurology consult, Johnston says he was told he’d be waiting roughly 120 days.
As the delay stretches on, Johnston says his condition continues to worsen. He can no longer open his jaw wide enough to eat solid food, and speaking — the foundation of his job — has become painful.
“It’s not just impacting me,” he said. “With a condition like this, where muscle spasms, it hurts to talk. It means that I don’t talk a whole lot at home.”
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He worries permanent damage to his speech is possible if the cyst goes untreated for too long, and he believes his experience reflects a deeper issue in rural Alberta’s health-care system.
“There’s been a lot of talk about improving it. Tons of talk,” Johnston said. “But I think I’m a pretty good example that the delays are really hurting Albertans.”
According to data posted on the Alberta Health Services (AHS) website, 26 communities across the province are currently experiencing some form of service reduction.
A spokesperson for AHS did not address specialist wait times directly. Instead, they said the agency is working to reduce surgical wait times across Alberta, noting that several factors are assessed when determining when a patient is ready for a procedure.
“We are actively working to shorten surgery wait times in the province and to enhance access to care no matter where in the province patients live,” the AHS’s statement said.
“[…] Referrals for the most specialized services are often in Calgary or Edmonton. We recognize that this distance can be an issue for patients from more rural or regional communities and this is a focus for improvement for Acute Care Alberta (ACA).”
As Johnston waits for his consult, he hopes speaking out will encourage others to do the same.
“Do your research, advocate hard, don’t give up,” he told Global News. “Albertans deserve better. We need to make our voices heard.”
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