Lia Lousier was walking towards her car to take her 10-year-old son Braeden to Alberta Children's Hospital for a medical appointment when she and him both slipped on the icy sidewalk.
 
Lousier's son was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic condition called Hajdu-Cheney Syndrome, which oftentimes leads to loss of bone tissue from the hands and feet and causes bone abnormalities. Many individuals with this syndrome develop osteoporosis. Braeden and his mother were going into Calgary for a bone fusion. That morning, Lousier ended up falling first and then when her son looked back, he too fell. 
 
Lousier said she received a lot of criticism for calling EMS, as people were claiming she could have transported her son to the hospital herself, but she said that due to her son's medically complex condition, a bone break is life-threatening. 
 
 
"His body went one way and his leg went another. Unfortunately, I knew immediately the seriousness of the situation, not only because OF Braeden's history, but from what I know myself medically. I did have to pick him up and move him because he was at a terrible angle on freezing cold ice. 
 
Lousier's eldest son ran out to salt the sidewalk, fearing someone else would hurt themselves.
 
"Between picking my son up and moving into the van, I immediately determined that yes, there was definitely a break in the leg from the amount of swelling that was instantaneous, and that, yes, it was probably broken right through because of the way the leg itself felt when I was supporting it; like a limp noodle."
 
Braeden's mother realized that there was no possibility of transporting her son to the hospital herself because she would not be able to stabilize him.
 
"He was screaming in pain if I moved it. The femur is one of the most painful bones in the body to break," she said. "For the safety of him, my eldest [son] called 9-11."
 
Lousier told the paramedics of her son's medical history and what she observed in her son. The dispatch informed her they would be sending an ambulance. Approximately 10 to 15 minutes later the dispatch called Lousier back to get an update on her son's condition.
 
"So after about another 10 minutes or so, my son started nasal flaring and working a little bit harder to breathe. I have seen medical distress in my child on more than one occasion. I know also signs of shock setting in, I know signs of respiratory issues," Lousier said. "This is all playing through my head as I'm also just wanting to be his mom at that moment."
 
Lousier called 9-11 for the third time at approximately 12:45, becoming more terrified by the moment, realizing that a broken femur bone could potentially be pressing on her son's femoral artery, which if nicked could lead to massive internal bleeding.
 
"It's terrifying because had he nicked his artery, which I wouldn't have been able to tell right away, he would have lost consciousness and all of that. I would have just watched my son die in those 49 minutes even before the fire truck arrived," she said. "I begged them to send out a fire the fire truck, knowing that at least I would have a paramedic to have a pair of eyes on him."
 
Airdrie's Fire Department arrived approximately 49 minutes from Lousier placing the first call to EMS. Airdrie's Fire Department would call EMS for a fourth time.
 
"So fire arrived within minutes and they were amazing," she said. "They had to cut open the jeans because there was no other way and upon viewing the site, [they assessed his leg] was broken and it was a bad break."
 
According to Lousier, EMS told the firefighters on the scene that because there were no ambulances available in Airdrie (dubbed a Red Alert), there was a possibility of the fire department transporting Braeden to Alberta Children's Hospital. 
 
From previous reporting, Acting Deputy Chief Mike Pirie of the Airdrie Fire Department did confirm to Discover Airdrie that a fractured leg call came in at 12:49 P.M. However, Discover Airdrie was not able to confirm whether EMS did, in fact, suggest that the Airdrie Fire Department had been relayed information that they themselves should transport to Calgary. According to Pirie, firefighters on the scene waited approximately 20 minutes before transporting them to Airdrie's Urgent Care Centre. 
 
"They [Airdrie firfighters] assessed the situation as best they could about the risk of what my son was going through. Then a decision [was made] to move my son onto a backboard with a whole lot of pillows and we put it in the back of the firetruck."
 
Lousier explained that Braeden was placed in the cab of the firetruck where other firefighters sit. When Lousier and her son when being transported to Airdrie's Urgent Care Centre, which she said took approximately seven minutes, she observed three more medical calls came in.
 
"The magnitude of the situation of the entire province just started to sink in. I knew it was bad. I mean, I have a medically complex child," Lousier said. "But to actually live it, is a different story."
 
Louiser said the firefighters who attended to her son were not particularly surprised by what was happening, in terms of the lack of resources.
 
"They basically were talking about how it's really hard on them and demoralizing because you choose a certain field to work in to save people and to help people, and when you feel that your hands are tied to do your own job because you don't have enough resources...They were amazing and I wish I could have hugged them all but [you know] COVID."
Once Lousier and her son arrived at Urgent Care, doctors there assessed that they would not be able to deal with the major femur break in Airdrie. X-rays were done and showed that there was indeed a femur break with bones overlapping, which is why little Braeden was in so much pain.
 
"They started an IV, they got some morphine, to give him a little bit of relief," she said. "There was one genius doctor there, she was wonderful and she made a kind of a temporary splint for him out of casting material."
 
Four and a half hours after Braeden fell, Lousier and her son made it to Alberta Children's Hospital.
 
"The paramedics were amazing. We actually knew the paramedic driving us because he had taken us into Calgary before," Lousier said.  "So that makes your day just a little bit easier."
 
Doctors at Alberta Children's Hospital determined that due to Braedan's condition, repairing his bones would not be an easy feat.
 
"Unfortunately, we had choice B or C, B being that my son has to be cast in which goes from the abdomen down to the ankle, or it would be major surgery in which they would have to completely open up the thigh and screw a plate in there. But there'd still be no promises that they could do that as well because the bone just can't handle it."
 
The decision was made to place Braeden in a cast.
 
"So I now have a 10-year old that can't sit straight for six to eight weeks now. He's feeling frustrated, to say the least. But I'm happy that the leg is certainly feeling better and we're tapering off the heavier pain killers."
 
Lousier said she is in the process of turning the lower part of her home into a hospital room as Braeden won't be able to venture upstairs.
 
"My son has an incredibly high pain tolerance, so that comes in beneficial when you break something," she said. "The hope is to bring him home today."
 
When asked if AHS has spoken to her, Lousier said there are only two individuals she wants to talk to about what has happened.
 
"I respect Alberta Health and I know that they're also doing what they can within the parameters they've been given," she said. "The only person that I would want to talk to would be either Jason Copping or Jason Kenney himself. Nobody else can make the changes until the government itself realizes how important our medical system is."
 
 
On Friday, January 21st, 2022, AHS released a statement with regards to Airdrie's Fire Department transporting patients due to no ambulances being available in the area. The statement in part read, "We understand and appreciate Albertans are concerned. Together with frontline care teams in our hospitals, and our fellow first responders, we are continuing to prioritize all those in critical need, and seeking all avenues of reducing EMS response times."