For 65 years, MedicAlert has helped ensure that critical health information can still speak for people when they cannot. For Darlene of Perth, Ontario, a subscriber since 2001, that connection has remained with her through two open-heart surgeries and nearly 25 years of changing health needs.
Darlene was just 39 years old when she had her first open-heart surgery. It was a mitral valve replacement, done at Kingston General Hospital—the same place that first introduced her to MedicAlert.
"I remember receiving the MedicAlert form, and I'm sure the nurse spoke to me about the importance of it," Darlene recalls. It may have been one more form among her post-surgical instructions, but it marked the beginning of a relationship she has relied on for nearly 25 years.
Seven years after that first surgery, the tissue valve failed. Darlene returned to the operating room, this time for a mechanical valve—a procedure she describes as even more critical than the first. With it came Warfarin, a blood thinner that became a permanent, non-negotiable part of her daily life.
"That's a really big thing, being on blood thinners," she says. "A medical team needs to know this information, as this medication can alter a body's ability to clot." She also takes Metoprolol to manage her arrhythmia—another medication she considers just as crucial to have on record. "If I was sick, or something was happening to me, I probably wouldn't even remember what meds I was taking."
Darlene keeps that information close through her MedicAlert ID, which connects first responders and medical teams to her health record and MedicAlert’s 24/7 Emergency Hotline service. Her record holds the details that may be difficult to recall or explain in an emergency, including her conditions, medications and contacts.
"I am never without my MedicAlert bracelet," she says, "and when I have other surgeries or procedures done, I don't even want them to remove it. That's how important it is to me."
Even in the operating room, surrounded by a team with access to her chart, she wants that connection with her. For Darlene, that connection means continuity, certainty and a voice that never goes quiet.
"Just to have the peace of mind, knowing that if something happened to me and I couldn't speak or communicate at all with the paramedics or doctors, all the information they need is just a phone call away," Darlene explains.
Darlene also sees value on the other side of that call, for the doctors and nurses working in busy emergency rooms.
"Our hospitals are so busy, and it's just a lot easier for them to be able to make the phone call," she says. "It saves time and money."
That connection extends beyond emergencies. Darlene updated her health record just last week, something she has done many times during her years as a subscriber. Keeping it current helps ensure the service behind her ID reflects changes in her health and treatment.
"The MedicAlert agents are amazing," she says. "They are very helpful and very kind, and I always appreciate speaking with them."
Two open-heart surgeries. Two critical medications. One MedicAlert ID she refuses to be without—and a health record and 24/7 service behind it. As MedicAlert marks 65 years, Darlene’s story is a reminder of why that connection still matters: in an emergency, she can be known and her critical health information can be available, even when she cannot explain it herself.
Are you an individual with a chronic medical condition? Learn more about how MedicAlert can provide peace of mind, protection, and support at medicalert.ca/signup or call 1-800-668-1507 today.
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