‘I’m a prisoner’: Renfrew man waiting on provincial funding to end 15-year hospital stay

Ken Retkowski in his hospital room at the Renfrew Victoria Hospital. Dec. 24, 2025. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)

Ken Retkowski has spent the majority of the last 17 years stuck in a hospital bed, unable to return home.

“I’m kept in here all the time to go no where. I’m a prisoner,” the 54-year-old told CTV News from his bed on the 2nd floor of the Renfrew Victoria Hospital.

“It’s like hell, it’s a living hell.”

It was back in January 2009 that Retkowski was involved in a car crash where he suffered a severe life-long brain injury, which has limited the use of his right side.

“Since then, it’s really been 15 years of residency in hospitals, various hospitals,” says Ken’s twin sister Kareen Retkowski.

“And so what we’re trying to do is get Ken back out into the community where he should be.”

To get Ken out of the hospital and back to living life, he has been attending therapy to learn how to use a wheelchair.

Kareen has also rented an apartment in Renfrew, which is being retrofitted to accommodate Ken’s accessibility needs.

The only thing stopping Ken from leaving his hospital bed is money.

“I looked into what it costs for Ken to be in the hospital, and it’s $1,300 a day,” says Kareen.

“When you calculate that out, that’s almost $475,000 a year, and it looks like Ken could be living in the community with the support and care he needs for $350,000 a year.”

Kareen says the hospital provides basic needs for her brother, but adds that he has also been deemed medically stable, capable of discharge.

This fall, the Ontario government announced new funding which would provide patients like Ken up to $700 per day for high-intensity home care, allowing him to leave the hospital and free up the bed.

“What I’m hoping to get is some of that funding to invest it into the community for care that Ken requires,” says Kareen.

“He’s ready to return to the community. He shouldn’t be in here. It’s actually setting him back and putting him in further decline.”

“It’s detrimental,” adds Ken, sitting next to her.

According to documents obtained by CTV News, that program was slated to roll out this December, but this year’s severe flu strain has delayed the program’s launch until 2026.

That means Ken — along with another roughly 5000 patients across Ontario in a similar situation — will be stuck spending another Christmas in hospital.

“I’m kept in here all day to do nothing but rot,” says Ken. “In here, you might as well be dead.”

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