

WINDSOR — A local family is reeling after a scheduled surgery was cancelled in London because too many nurses called in sick due to the teacher's strike.

The Amherstburg woman went up the 401 Thursday night with her husband and stayed at a hotel overnight in order to be at the London hospital for brain surgery set for 4:30am Friday.

But speaking on AM800's the Dan MacDonald Show, the woman's mother-in-law Marian Wilcke says at the last minute, the surgery had to be cancelled because 36 nurses had called in sick.

"When she was all prepped up and ready to go, they pulled out the intravenous and the surgery was off because 36 nurses had called in sick because they couldn't get babysitters because of the teacher's strike," she says.

Wilcke is beyond angry.

"How frustrating can that be for a person to get themselves all ready for surgery," she says. "It's not like going to the dentist and having a tooth pulled."

Wilcke says people need to understand the unintended consequences of the strike.

"I just wanted people to know out there how disgusting this can be. I was a union worker but good Lord alive, I hope Ford is listening to this because he should be ashamed of himself," she added.

Today was the first time all four teachers unions went on strike.

Wilcke says the brain surgery has been rescheduled.

She says her daughter-in-law Terry has epilepsy and the surgery was meant to help her.

AM800 News checked the staffing levels at Windsor Regional Hospital and the local hospital reports "there was nothing out of the ordinary."

