Local couple has personal reasons for donating $500K to Bringing Hearts Home
By Lethbridge Herald on June 11, 2025.
John Getkate alongside his wife Laura Getkate speaks during their gift unveiling ceremony Tuesday at the Chinook Regional Hospital. Photo courtesy CRH FoundationAlejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald
The Bringing Hearts Home campaign has received a significant donation from a member of the Cardiac Sciences Advisory Cabinet and her husband, which was unveiled during a ceremony Tuesday morning at the Chinook Regional Hospital.
John and Laura Getkate have donated $500,000 to support the Bringing Hearts Home campaign. The Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, alongside its board of directors and the Southern Alberta Cardiac Sciences Advisory Cabinet, honoured the gift in front of family members, Alberta Health Services representatives, dignitaries, and special guests.
“My wife is very much what you would call a grateful cardiac patient,” said John Getkate. “She is a member of Dr. Zielke’s Cardiac Sciences Advisory Cabinet, and a few months ago, we decided we wanted to do even more to advance the Bringing Hearts Home project.”
During the unveiling ceremony, Laura Getkate shared her story and what inspired her, along with her husband, to help the Bringing Hearts Home campaign.
Laura said she comes from a family of volunteers and that, combined with her personal experience of excellent care over the last 10 years, has prompted their desire to give back to the Cardiac Sciences team and the Bringing Hearts Home campaign.
“Our donation is our way of expressing appreciation for the care that I have received,” said Laura. “Over half of the diagnostic testing that I needed had to be done in Calgary, resulting in both emotional and financial expense, during a very difficult time in our lives. We want to help change that part of the ‘cardiac journey’ for other families.”
Crystal Elliott, CEO of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, said Laura’s story speaks volumes as she faced the cardiac journey herself and in the face of that her and John chose to make a difference.
“Laura volunteers for the Sourthern Alberta Cardiac Sciences Advisory Cabinet, and not only has she shared her time and insight as a member, but now she is leading by example with an extraordinary gift to the campaign.”
Elliott said the gift sends a clear message to patients and families navigating heart disease in our region: “You matter, they matter, and we’re building something better together.
“We are one step closer to ensuring that patients who need a stint can receive that lifesaving care right here. We’re another step closer to reducing the travel, the stress and the uncertainty for families across southern Alberta.”
The cardiac centre and all of the programs are impacting every individual on the Highway 3 corridor, from the Crowsnest Pass to Medicine Hat, she added.
“This donation also brings us one step closer to where the highest standard or care isn’t a few hours away, it’s right here,” said Elliott.
The Getkates’ contribution puts the campaign at almost $11 million towards the $30-million goal for transforming cardiac care across southern Alberta.
Spanning 30 months from September 2024 to February 2027, the campaign will enhance access to advanced diagnostics, intervention, and rehabilitation services for patients in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and surrounding rural communities.
The project will significantly elevate the standard of cardiac health care at the two southern Alberta regional hospitals in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. New facilities and technology including a catheterization lab, electrophysiology lab, two echocardiography labs, cardiac MRI and CT scanners, and expanded cardiac ICU beds will reduce pressure on existing ICUs and bring life-saving care closer to home.
Most notably, the new Cardiac Centre of Excellence will allow patients who require a heart stent to receive the life-saving procedure right here in Lethbridge, eliminating the need to travel to Calgary and ensuring faster, more accessible care.
Cardiac disease remains the leading cause of death in Southern Alberta. Alarmingly, the region experiences a 26.6 per cent higher cardiac mortality rate than the provincial average, and a 15.5 per cent higher heart attack rate.
To learn more about the Bringing Hearts Home Campaign or to make a donation, visit Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation at CRH or call 403-388-6001.
20-19
We need this cardiac center and thank you.