In the last seven months of his life, Micah Hackett was in perpetual motion between the two campuses of Windsor Regional Hospital because neither unit alone could provide the life-saving care the teenage cancer patient required. Why, in a county of nearly 400,000 people, does Windsor-Essex not have a 21st Century care facility like those taken for granted in most similar-sized regions? The Hacketts and countless families like them deserve better. Micah deserved better. This special report by the Windsor Writers Group, a team of journalists led by former Windsor Star publisher and editor-in-chief Marty Beneteau, explores the dilemma through the eyes of those most affected.
Jennifer O’Brien
Principal writer Jennifer O’Brien is a Windsor native nationally recognized for her more than 20 years of news reporting with Canadian Press and the London Free Press.
Rob Gurdebeke
Photographer Rob Gurdebeke was picture editor at The National in Abu Dhabi, UAE, deputy picture editor at the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Australia and is a former Windsor Star photojournalist and photo editor.
Marty Beneteau
Project manager and co-writer Marty Beneteau is a nationally recognized journalist who enjoyed a 36-year career at The Star as a reporter, copy editor, newsroom leader and executive.