Hundreds celebrated and attended events across the Maritimes Friday, with many looking to return to the festivities. Felicia Holden and her eight-year-old son Jaxson were attending events on the waterfront in Pugwash, NS, when the incident happened.
“When he entered the bouncy castle, he went through it very quickly and when he came out, he said he didn’t feel well and was dizzy. We were going to bring him home, but when he started walking, he was white as a ghost and passed out. Not one, but two,” Holden said.
They immediately called 911, but help was slow to arrive.
“We waited on the quayside for half an hour and 40 minutes and then took him to the hospital ourselves. We were there another 45 minutes before the ambulance even arrived,” Holden said.
Holden says she was later told there were no ambulances in the area. He says the closest one was over an hour away in Pictou, NS
“When the paramedic came to the hospital, he explained and said he was sorry. He said he had begged an ambulance to stay in Wallace, so there would at least be one on shore nearby, but they wouldn’t leave them there. They sent them to Pictou,” Holden said.
In an email to CTV News, Emergency Health Services said in part, “The event the family attended was one of several held in communities across the province on Canada Day, which put additional pressure on emergency response resources in a province. EHS Operations is working very closely with its healthcare and government partners to find solutions to these issues, and has made some changes in recent months with that goal in mind.”
Despite the explanation, Holden still believes there should have been an ambulance in town at the time.
“Given there were hundreds, if not more, in Pugwash at the time because it was a big event, there should have been one anyway,” Holden said.
Holden says she’s glad a nurse was in the area and on the scene to help and keep the family calm.
Meanwhile, EHS said it was deeply concerned to hear about the experience and understand how stressful these situations can be.
