Testimonials

Mrs. Evelyn Cournoyer, Mr. Yvan Cournoyer, Mr. André Desmarais, Mrs. France Chrétien‑Desmarais, Mrs. Norma Mulder, Dr. David S. Mulder and Mr. Olivier Desmarais at the launch of the CODE LiFE Campaign.
We have been very attached to the hospital for a long time, so it was an easy decision to take part in CODE LiFE. Especially as the Montreal General Hospital has a lot to be proud about, including a tremendous heritage and a profound importance to the city’s social stability.

My name is Maryam. I’m 29 years old. When I was 22, I developed borderline personality disorder. To start to get back on my feet, I had to fight an epic seven-year battle. I didn’t realize how strong I was before going through this nightmare.

I had two options. Either they could amputate part of my leg or I could embark on what he called a project: a series of operations in which they would reconstruct everything that was broken. I chose the project.

‟For a while, I really hated my body for what it was doing to me. It’s good to change it around and say: it’s just the vessel that carries me. In the end you have to realize that you are not the disease, you are your own person.”

If my experience has taught me anything, it is that depression comes in many shapes and sizes and everyone faces it differently. It’s comforting to know that I’m being helped with the latest technology in the field of mental health. As the result of those treatments and my desire to enjoy and get a lot more out of life, I’m doing better almost every day.

Every time I participated in a music therapy session, I was blown away by how much good it did me. It gave me so much energy, so much joy! It’s incredible how much music can heal us.

They saved my life! Their program embraces all of the person, and not only the cancer. All the work they do is to build the body up, so that when we go to have the operation, we are prepared for it.

I think at the back of the head of anyone who’s been sick, either physical or mental, we have a big fear of it coming back. And it’s a very scary place to be but it does end. It does.

For a mother, it’s terrifying to know that your child’s heart could stop beating at any moment. At least we know what to expect and especially what to do to avoid the worst for my husband or my sons. Together, with the help of Dr. Joza and her team, we made a game plan.

Samuël and our family’s story was taken very seriously at the Montreal General Hospital. Dr. Joza’s insistence on following every possible lead, to get to the source of the problem, probably saved the lives of my three children.