After going into anaphylactic shock at a movie theatre in Saskatoon, Melanie Jackson was rushed to St. Paul’s Hospital where she stayed for three days.
According to Jackson, she became the victim of a theft during her stay.
Jackson said it happened when she went to take a shower. She gathered her cellphone, tablet, and sweater and placed them in her backpack which she hung on the hooks in her room.
“I was gone for 15 minutes and when I came back, my backpack was gone.”
Along with her cellphone and tablet, photographs of memories with her grandchildren and a piece of clothing were taken.
“Aside from all the technology, it’s the sweater I think I miss the most,” Jackson said.
Described as a warm grey sweater, Jackson said the item was a gift from her late mom.
“That belonged to my mom who passed away. She had a collection of sweaters and before she passed away she wanted to make sure that we all got one so that it was like a hug from her.”
During her stay in hospital, Jackson said she didn’t have access to a locker or lock.
St. Paul’s Hospital committed to providing locks for lockers back in 2016.
“We put on 20 for tests to see how that worked,” St. Paul’s CEO Jean Morrison explained. ”
Those locks were for the first number of weeks they were quite good. But as time went on we found that people actually found a way to find a weakness in the lock and still get into the lockers.”
In an effort to address increased concerns additional lighting has been installed on the hospital grounds, trees and shrubs have been removed to open up sight lines, fewer exterior doors are left unlocked as hospital access points and the building is staffed by security personnel 24/7. Nonetheless theft at St. Paul’s continues to be a growing problem.
“Whether it’s increased reporting, increased opportunity or actual increased thefts, I’m not sure,” Morrison said.
New locks are on order and will be trialed in spring.
Jackson is hoping the person who took her sweater returns it.
“If they would just turn in that grey sweater, that would be appreciated,” Jackson said.
“It’s a piece of my mom that I want back.”
Jackson said the sweater was inside a black OGIO backpack with Areva embroidered in red on the front.
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