Frank Cameron's wife shares his story in hopes it can improve health care for others

The call Chris Cameron received from the hospital on Jan. 16 said that her husband, Frank, had fallen. He had only a minor cut on his head, but he was crying and asking for her, she was told.

She arrived at the Victoria General Hospital a short time later to find him in a wheelchair, waiting for her at the nurses' station. She soon realized something much more serious could be wrong with her husband.

Based on how painful it was for him to be moved into the bed, and the position of one of his legs once he was lying down, a family friend and retired nurse who went to the hospital with Chris that day suspected a broken hip. An X-ray confirmed that suspicion, and Chris was informed the next day.

"That was my biggest fear," she said during a recent interview. "It had come true. And I knew this was the end for him."

Frank Cameron, a well-known radio and TV broadcaster for decades, died in hospital on Jan. 20, four days after breaking his hip. He was 85.

It was the painful conclusion of multiple frustrations and disappointments with the health-care system as Chris tried to advocate for her husband and get him the right care in the right place.

More than five months later, she still has questions.

Tributes would pour in for Cameron, who spent much of his career in various roles with the CBC. In retirement, he combined his love of radio and music as a host at the community radio station Seaside FM from 2005 until July 28, 2023.

But until now little was publicly known about the circumstances around his death, or the fact that he spent all but two days of his final six months in hospital.

Chris Cameron said she decided to speak publicly because she wants to see change in the health-care system. She said she hopes to prevent other people from going through a similar experience.

She shared her concerns first in a letter to Premier Tim Houston, Health Minister Michelle Thompson, Nova Scotia Health interim CEO Karen Oldfield and Liberal Leader Zach Churchill after Frank died. A subsequent meeting was arranged with health authority officials on May 2.

"I just thought, 'You know what, I need to do this for him. I need to know that his death was not in vain.'"

July 28 last year started as a normal day for Frank Cameron. He went to the radio station.

But when he returned home he fell in the bathroom. He remained on the floor until Chris returned home and had to call 911. Initially, Chris thought this was like previous falls Frank had experienced and that he'd be in hospital for a few days and then back home. That was not the case.