The Road to Recovery

Left: Thanks to surgical treatments at Burnaby Hospital, Dr. Lee Busse can now walk and enjoy his life, making up for missed time on the golf course.

When Dr. Lee Busse moved with his young family to Burnaby over 50 years ago, he never imagined the kind of impact Burnaby Hospital would have on him and his family.
“My first experience with Burnaby Hospital was when my wife had a horrific accident and broke her kneecap in 12 different places,” shares Lee. “This was 18 years ago, and luckily, she was operated on by Dr. Ralph Belle, who put her back together.”

Little did Lee know that it would only be a matter of a few years before he, himself, would suffer from conditions causing severe pain and discomfort. “I was limping very badly and couldn’t walk very far,” Lee recalls. “I find that people take walking for granted. With the hip and the knees, when there’s pain involved, it affects your quality of life.”

After having countless surgeries on both knees and a hip replacement at the hands of Dr. Ralph Belle at Burnaby Hospital, Lee is happy to have made Burnaby his home and Burnaby Hospital his hospital. He describes his surgical experiences as being engaged throughout the entire process, making him feel more comfortable from beginning to end. “Maybe because Burnaby Hospital is more family-oriented, but I think they have superb staff and it’s very homey. They even bring you in before the surgery and introduce you to the various departments who will be involved in the procedure, treatment, and rehabilitation.”

But, the road to recovery was not without hard work and perseverance. Lee had to take it step by step, continuing physiotherapy treatment for almost four months after his recent hip replacement. He is thankful, however, to have had what most consider a quick recovery time, happily stating, “Those were big surgeries and the pain levels were reduced dramatically by what they did for you.”

When asked how these experiences have impacted his life, Lee gladly responds, “I can walk. That’s a big impact. Now that I’ve had these procedures done successfully, there’s no more pain and as such, I’m walking normally and enjoying life.” Now, Lee leisurely spends his days with his family and makes up for missed time on the golf course. He believes strongly in supporting Burnaby Hospital by ensuring future generations can benefit from the latest and greatest in health equipment. Most recently, Lee and his family made a donation to Burnaby Hospital Foundation to help secure a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit for Burnaby Hospital.

At the time, he didn’t know that he would have a chance to see his gift in action so soon after its installment. “Our grandson who is 15 years old was referred to have an MRI,” begins Lee. “We were able to take him there and I was really impressed with the technician and how well it was set up compared to our own MRI experiences at other hospitals. Normally, I think a child would be quite apprehensive, but he wasn’t the least bit. He was well-received and well-taken care of—and all of this was done close to home.”

With the cost of equipment being astronomical, Lee and his family’s contribution helped Burnaby Hospital acquire an MRI that could diagnose patients quickly and without having to go to another hospital for testing. Seeing his own grandson unexpectedly benefit from the MRI only reaffirmed Lee’s belief that supporting Burnaby Hospital indeed benefits many for years to come.

“Well, you never know when you’re going to need it yourself,” Lee admits. “But just because you haven’t had to use the facilities, doesn’t mean there isn’t a need there. It’s very gratifying to support such a worthy cause. It makes you feel good that your money is going into something that helps other people.”

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