After nearly losing his ability to walk, Andrew Paterson is grateful for the emergency care he received at HSC
Andrew Paterson (left) and a friend fishing at Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge shortly after his recovery from emergency spine surgery in 2020.
Andrew “Hustler” Paterson’s life changed in the blink of an eye. One moment he was wrapping up his day as a sports radio talk show host, and the next, he was waking up in a hospital bed, unable to feel anything below his waist. The events that led to this life-altering moment unfolded rapidly, leaving him with a deep sense of gratitude for the fast-acting care he received at Health Sciences Centre (HSC).
In September 2020, then 46-year-old Paterson was heading to work when he bent down to load a heavy box into his vehicle and felt a sharp tweak in his back. His discomfort lingered, and as the hours passed, it worsened.
“I could barely walk. My legs were not working properly. I started to panic a bit because I didn’t know what the hell was going on,” Paterson recalls. Frantically searching for his symptoms online, he realized the gravity of his condition and called an ambulance. After a short stay at an urgent care centre, he was transferred to HSC, where the urgency of his condition became painfully clear.
“The minute I showed up at HSC was when everything changed,” says Paterson. “I could feel the urgency, and I started to feel confident that this place was the best possible option to help me.”
At HSC, Paterson underwent an emergency MRI, which indicated he had a severely herniated disc compressing his spinal nerves—a condition called cauda equina syndrome. This pressure on the bundle of nerves at the bottom of the spinal cord can cause permanent damage to mobility. Without immediate surgery, Paterson’s chances of walking again were slim.
HSC neurosurgeon, Dr. Perry Dhaliwal, performed emergency spine surgery on Paterson in the middle of the night to relieve the pressure on his spinal nerves.
“Timing was everything,” Paterson explains. “The longer those nerves were under pressure, the more damage could be done. If that surgery had to wait until the next day, I don’t think I would have walked again.”
Andrew Paterson in a hospital bed at HSC shortly after his emergency spine surgery.
Paterson woke up the following day in the surgical recovery wing at HSC. His hospitalization also coincided with the peak of the COVID pandemic in its first year. With strict isolation protocols in place, he found himself unable to have visitors.
“With everything shutting down, I really appreciated the doctors and nurses and staff that were there, maybe more so than I normally would have,” he says.
Andrew Paterson spent almost two months working through his rehabilitation program at HSC.
Paterson then spent nearly two months undergoing intensive rehabilitation to regain his ability to walk. On November 9, 2020, he walked out of HSC—unassisted.
Andrew Paterson walked out of HSC without assistance in November 2020, approximately two months after undergoing emergency spine surgery.
Today, Paterson continues to deal with balance issues as well as numbness in his left foot and leg. He also had to cope with bladder-related issues for several months following the surgery. He remains extremely grateful for the fast-acting care that allowed him to regain his health and mobility.
“The health-care staff at HSC helped me through the toughest time of my life and put me on the path to the best recovery possible,” says Paterson. “They help so many people every day, and I guess this was my time to be the beneficiary of the great work that they do. As Manitobans, we are very lucky.”
Post-recovery, Andrew Paterson launched Winnipeg Sports Talk, a YouTube and podcast feed that discusses news that is important to Winnipeg sports fans.
With the major health hurdle behind him, Paterson is back to his regular life, which includes travel, all things sports, and daily on-air banter on Winnipeg Sports Talk, a YouTube and podcast feed that covers news vital to Winnipeg sports fans.
To support patients at HSC like Andrew Paterson, please click here to donate, or call the HSC Foundation office at 204-515-5612 or 1-800-679-8493 (toll-free).
Andrew Paterson is also generously supporting the HSC Foundation’s annual Savour New Zealand: Wine & Food Experience with an online auction item: a once-in-a-lifetime fishing adventure at Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge! The winning bidder and a guest will enjoy three days of world-class fishing for walleye, pike, and lake trout. Bid in the Savour New Zealand: Online Auction.
