Intensive Caring: Voices from the ICU is a podcast that explores what happens after critical illness, bringing forward the voices of patients, families, and healthcare professionals who have experienced the ICU firsthand.

Hosted by Dr. David Hornstein, Director of the Critical Illness Recovery Center at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the series focuses on the realities of recovery, physically, emotionally, and mentally, and the lasting impact of compassionate care.

In this episode, Dr. Hornstein sits down with John Wundele and his wife, Sonia Routhier, to reflect on their experience following John's open-heart surgery and the serious complications that followed. What began as a planned cardiac procedure turned into months of hospitalization, multiple surgeries, intensive care, and an uncertain road to recovery. Throughout it all, Sonia remained by John's side while navigating her own fears and supporting their family through an incredibly difficult time.

John also shares his vivid memories of ICU delirium, including an elaborate experience in which he believed he had survived a plane crash somewhere in the Caribbean. The memories felt so real that, even after regaining consciousness, he struggled to reconcile what his brain told him had happened with the reality of why he was in the hospital.

John and Sonia discuss how understanding delirium, seeking professional support, and connecting with other ICU survivors and their families helped them to be able to begin to make sense of what they had experienced.

This episode offers a powerful look at critical illness from both sides of the hospital bed, and the importance of reassurance, human connection, and community throughout the recovery process.

This podcast is presented by the MUHC Foundation, supporting patient care, research, and innovation across the McGill University Health Centre. To learn more or make a donation, visit muhcfoundation.com.

Intensive Caring: Voices from the ICU is a podcast that explores what happens after critical illness, bringing forward the voices of patients, families, and healthcare professionals who have experienced the ICU firsthand.

Hosted by Dr. David Hornstein, Director of the Critical Illness Recovery Center at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the series focuses on the realities of recovery, physically, emotionally, and mentally, and the lasting impact of compassionate care.

In this episode, Dr. Hornstein sits down with Vanessa Valente, whose life changed forever after a severe infection led to an extended stay in the ICU during the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Isolated from her loved ones for weeks, Vanessa endured multiple surgeries, dialysis, delirium, and months of recovery, all while navigating the uncertainty of critical illness without the comfort of family by her side.

Through an honest and deeply moving conversation, Vanessa reflects on the lasting psychological impact of her experience, from vivid ICU memories and emotional triggers to the anxiety of returning to the hospital for follow-up care.

She also shares how finding a community of fellow ICU survivors helped her move from simply surviving to truly healing, reminding listeners that recovery is not only physical, but emotional as well.

This episode is a powerful reminder that healing doesn't end when the patient is discharged. Sometimes, the most important part of recovery is knowing that you don't have to face it alone.

This podcast is presented by the MUHC Foundation, supporting patient care, research, and innovation across the McGill University Health Centre. To learn more or make a donation, visit muhcfoundation.com.

Soins attentifs est un balado qui parle de ce qui se passe après une maladie critique, en donnant la parole aux patients, à leurs proches et aux professionnels de la santé qui ont vécu l’expérience des soins intensifs de près.

Animé par le Dr David Hornstein, directeur du Centre de rétablissement des maladies critiques au Centre universitaire de santé McGill (CUSM), ce balado met en lumière les réalités du rétablissement, tant sur le plan physique qu émotionnel et mental, ainsi que l’impact durable de soins empreints de compassion.

Dans cet épisode, le Dr Hornstein reçoit Ariane De La Durantaye, infirmière praticienne spécialisée en soins de première ligne, dont la vie a basculé quelques jours avant la naissance de son premier enfant. Admise aux soins intensifs en raison d'une grave atteinte cardiaque, Ariane a dû subir une césarienne d'urgence et amorcer à la fois son rôle de mère et son propre parcours de rétablissement dans des circonstances exceptionnelles.

À travers un échange empreint d'honnêteté et de vulnérabilité, Ariane revient sur les émotions qui ont marqué cette période, notamment le sentiment de culpabilité, les nombreux deuils à faire et les défis de concilier la maternité avec une longue convalescence. Elle partage également comment cette expérience, vécue à la fois comme professionnelle de la santé et comme patiente, a profondément transformé sa façon d'accompagner les personnes qu'elle soigne, en lui apportant une empathie et une compréhension encore plus grandes.

Cet épisode rappelle que le rétablissement ne se limite pas à guérir physiquement. Il s'agit aussi d'apprendre à faire preuve de douceur envers soi-même, à accepter que certains parcours soient différents de ceux que l'on avait imaginés, et à retrouver l'espoir malgré l'épreuve.

Ce balado est présenté par la Fondation du CUSM, qui soutient les soins aux patients, la recherche et l'innovation au sein du Centre universitaire de santé McGill. Pour en savoir plus ou faire un don, visitez fondationcusm.com.