Vaccine rollout was 'absolute failure,' says Hamilton man whose wife has Stage 4 kidney cancer

Tessa Slote and her husband Kyle have been hoping and praying she might get her COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible — at age 37, she has Stage 4 kidney cancer.

The Slotes say confusion around the Ontario government's rules about vaccination isn't making this stressful time in their lives any easier.

Good news finally came last Friday, when they were told the rollout had been escalated to include all cancer patients in Hamilton. But that was a mistake. 

An email from a Hamilton Public Health staff member said cancer patients receiving active treatment were among the highest-risk health conditions that qualified. They were wrong. 

"It's really hard to put into words how euphoric we felt when we thought suddenly we were eligible," said Kyle Slote. 

Hamilton Public Health apologizes

The real news came the following week, with the province announcing Thursday that people with health conditions deemed "high risk" are expected to qualify as of May 3. 

Slote said the wording in this category is vague, but it seems Tessa will be included. 

"People shouldn't have to seek out these answers," he said of navigating the system. 

Before they knew the truth — that in fact, Phase 2 in Hamilton hadn't progressed to include cancer patients like Tessa — the Slote family was searching for a way to let other cancer patients know things had changed. 

The City of Hamilton's website said only those with hematological (blood-related) malignancies diagnosed less than one year ago were eligible. They couldn't understand why staff told them otherwise.

It feels like an absolute failure of a system that should be designed to protect us as the public, and specifically those in vulnerable situations.- Kyle Slote on Ontario's vaccine rollout

"We felt like our perception of reality was wrong, that we've been in the depths of this fight against cancer, against the pandemic, that somehow we missed something," he said. 

Hamilton Public Health said the information given was "made in error and inconsistent with the province's direction."

"We apologize for this error and any frustration and/or apprehension it has caused community members, who are already experiencing challenging personal health circumstances," read a statement. 

The Slotes weren't the only ones who received the wrong information.

Public health said on Thursday a "limited number of community members" received it too. The wording was corrected. 

The worst part will be telling their kids

Under the impression they were eligible — Slote is an essential caregiver — the couple made appointments through the provincial phone line. They explained their situation on multiple calls. When the Slotes informed them days later that the government had things wrong, they were told to keep their spots. 

Ahead of the provincial announcement, Slote told CBC News that if Tessa wasn't eligible by their booking date, they were going to cancel. It wouldn't feel right to get a vaccine when they weren't supposed to, he said. 

He said the worst part would have been telling their kids. 

"They were jumping up and down, doing a happy dance when they heard that mom and dad were finally going to be vaccinated," he said, noting it would be hard to "take that away from them."

If the government delivers on its announcement, the Slotes will be vaccinated on May 8. 

The province said that while guidance doesn't differ by public health unit, each unit can vary its rate of administration based on local considerations and capacity. Halton region is already vaccinating high-risk health conditions, which would have included Tessa ahead of the expansion. 

Tessa spends each day loving her twin boys and daughter. She ran a home daycare for eight years as an early childhood educator. Slote said she's a tremendous person, a graceful youth leader, and someone who is always more concerned for those around her than herself. 

'Nothing left in the tank'

They're both urging both the provincial and municipal governments to recognize the lack of clarity within the system that can be an extra burden for vulnerable people.

Families dealing with cancer don't have the energy to fight another battle, Slote said, nor should they have to. 

"I know there are so, so many [people] in our city and our province who have nothing left in the tank. Their plates aren't even full — they're overflowing, and they don't have the resources to be on the phone constantly [or] to be emailing public health," he said. 

"It feels like an absolute failure of a system that should be designed to protect us as the public, and specifically those in vulnerable situations." 

Staying home 'not an option' when fighting cancer

Slote said the pandemic has already complicated the fight. His wife has received scary news by herself. At best, he listens in on speaker phone during her appointments, "barely hearing every other word." 

She's also recovered alone from a major surgery. His daughter was listed as a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case at school, and though she tested negative, he wasn't allowed to visit. 

Despite the provincial guidance to stay home, his wife has to go to appointments at varying health institutions in the city. Last week, she went to the Juravinski Cancer Centre three times. 

Cancer patients have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, and some have more risk of getting seriously ill, according to Cancer Care Ontario. 

"Staying at home is not an option when you're fighting cancer," said Kyle Slote. 

Worry for exemption

He said the provincial booking employees also couldn't override the system for a time interval exemption. 

Tessa has a form, signed by her oncologist, that drops the time between the two vaccinations so it doesn't take four months.

He knows others with cancer who qualify in their public health units through their age, not diagnosis, are also worried their time exemption will fall through the cracks. 

The provincial government said anyone with that letter should contact the public health unit, pharmacy, primary-care doctor, or hospital where they received their first vaccination to tell them they are eligible for the shortened dose interval.

Each vaccination a 'win'

As deserving groups move forward each day in the rollout, he said, it's still been difficult. Selfies and social media posts can sting. 

But each person vaccinated is a "win," he said, noting he still hopes people access whatever vaccine is offered first. 

Slote said the process has been revealing, and he hopes it leads to change as others add their voices to support vulnerable people.