As Max turned a familiar corner, an uneven sidewalk caught his stride. He felt himself falling — palms scraping first, then face striking the concrete. When he lifted his head, he saw them: his two front teeth lying on the ground in front of him. Blood covered his hands and shirt. With nothing but grit and determination, Max gathered his teeth and walked himself 21 blocks, straight to Island Health’s Emergency Department.
“The care, the treatment, the concern — it was really outstanding,” Max recalls. Max arrived at the wrong entrance — the ambulance bay. Luckily a nurse saw him and rushed to meet him at the door, quickly wheeling him back for care. The team immediately set to work — cleaning him up, running scans, carefully preserving his teeth, and even calling on a trauma dental surgeon in Seattle for advice.
“I felt very safe there,” Max says. “The care was excellent and personal—even the nurse who found me at the ambulance bay came back to check on me several times. I knew I was going to be fine.”
Max is back to running three times a week. He carries his phone now, and he’s more mindful of every step — but he hasn’t let the fall stop him from doing what he loves. He and his wife, Janet, say the experience gave them tremendous confidence in Island Health’s care.
“Good healthcare is so important as we age,” Max shares. “Janet and I both agree — Island Health really came through. It reinforced our decision to support the Foundation.”
Reflecting on their move to Anacortes, Max adds, “You learn the soul and fabric of the community once you’re here. Island Health and the Foundation are a big part of that and one of the main reasons we feel confident retiring here.”