Tyler Lister

Tyler Lister had experienced pneumonia several times before and had recovered well. This time, he ended up in the ICU for 22 days.

A few days after his latest diagnosis, his mom Lisa was working from home when she noticed he was having trouble breathing. They went to the Moose Jaw hospital, expecting a short visit.

But in a turn of events, Tyler went downhill quickly.

Born with Down syndrome, Tyler had always been positive, but as his health started to slip away, so did his spirit. He was put on oxygen immediately.

About seven hours after being admitted, the doctor told Lisa to call her children, Paige and Dallas, and tell them to come home — Tyler was not doing well.

Dallas, an hour away and driving in the middle of the night, called Tyler on the way to the hospital. By the time he arrived, Tyler had been intubated to help him breathe.

Lisa and her family sat in the hallway for hours, painfully awaiting news, when they all heard the words, “STARS will be here in 20.”

In instances where a community hospital does not have the resources to treat a patient in critical condition, STARS is often called to quickly transfer that person to a hospital where the required care is available. It’s known as an inter-facility transfer and makes up more than half of STARS’ mission volume.

Recognizing the severity of Tyler’s condition, the Moose Jaw hospital made the urgent decision to call STARS for a transfer to Regina.

Tyler’s family members were stunned at the escalation.

“When a STARS notification says ‘interfacility transfer,’ it is a dire need,” said Lisa. “If you’re not part of STARS, it might just sound like moving someone from one place to another, but in reality, every transfer is a life-saving mission.”

Amid the shock, Lisa doesn’t remember everything, but she vividly recalls Tyler’s STARS crew arriving at the hospital.

“Tammy is such an angel.” she recalled of her encounter with STARS flight nurse Tammy Hagerty. “Before they left with Tyler, Tammy took me aside, gave me a hug, and promised me she would look after him. She didn’t have to do that — it’s not part of her job. But it’s something that will forever be in my heart.”

Once Tyler arrived in Regina, he was admitted to the ICU, where he faced greater challenges. Tyler went into respiratory failure and septic shock, and doctors drained four litres of fluid from one lung alone. Five days later, Tyler had emergency surgery to remove part of his intestine that had been damaged due to reduced blood flow.

He spent a full month in the hospital before returning to Moose Jaw, but his fight wasn’t over. Soon, he suffered massive pulmonary embolisms. Blood clots covered several lung segments, keeping him hospitalized in Moose Jaw for another 18 days.

Today, though, Tyler is nearly back to normal and even underwent an early reverse ileostomy, a procedure that restored his normal digestive function. He’s back at his day program, his bubbly personality has returned, and he is absolutely smitten as a new uncle to his beautiful baby niece.