She and her husband Peter, an active and fit retired dentist, had just arrived by ambulance after he became extremely dizzy and fell in their westend home. Now, Peter was having a heart attack; his heart stopped beating.

The 74-year-old was one of 100,000 patients who sought emergency help at the Grey Nuns and Misericordia Community Hospitals last year.  The units provide care when time is of the essence and when people can no longer cope—victims of accidents and injury, babies with croup, elderly patients with multiple health problems—and heart attacks.

Recalling his morning brush with death, Peter is grateful for the expert care he received to get his heart beating and immediately dissolve the clot that threatened his heart and his life. Two weeks later he underwent triple bypass surgery at the University Hospital and is gradually resuming his active lifestyle.

"I was so grateful to wake up and see those lights and faces," says Peter. "There was an angel on his shoulder that day," adds Anne.