When Nedine Lair’s husband, Mark Lair, told his doctor he was having difficulty breathing, his family doctor did not discharge him. Instead, she insisted that a proper diagnosis be made.

“She was like a dog with a bone. She kept digging and digging and digging to find the root cause,” Lair said of Dr. Valerie Mantle.

Mark was referred to a cardiologist and diagnosed with coronary artery anomaly, a rare heart condition.

He underwent surgery to correct his condition and is now doing well.

Lair and her husband live in Lively, a community in western Greater Sudbury.

As part of a campaign by the College of Family Physicians of Ontario to recognize the “essential role of family doctors,” she nominated Mantle for the recognition.

Lair said not all health care workers show the level of compassion and empathy shown to him by his family doctor.

“When my father was reaching the end of his journey and was hospitalized, she happened to be the doctor on call who came to visit him,” Lair said.

“She also went to their residence and gave both of my parents flu shots because they couldn’t get in anywhere to receive it.”

Lair noted that she often suffered from tonsillitis and once visited a walk-in clinic when her throat was particularly sore. She told the doctor about her medical history, but he only recommended that she take lozenges for a sore throat.

“And the next day I was in the emergency room with tonsillitis,” she said.

But she said Dr. Mantle never questioned her and understood that she knew her own body better than anyone.

Lair said her “heart breaks” for the millions of Ontarians who don’t have a family doctor.

“Everything they need, they have to come into a clinic for hours. There’s no consistency,” she said.

Doctors recognized throughout Ontario

The College of Family Physicians of Ontario says patients have recognized and nominated more than 750 doctors across the province, including 11 in Greater Sudbury.

“What patients across the province, including Sudbury, have told us is that family doctors are there for patients, providing care when they need it most,” said Dr. Jobin Varughese, President of the College of Family Physicians of Ontario.

“We are grateful for the dedication and care that family doctors show to their patients.”