Posted on April 25, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Homeless in Victoria

No, this is not a campground. At least it`s not “ officially“ a campground.

Nobody is perfect… not even Victoria.

Amid all the beauty and prosperity that the city enjoys, it has challenges like every other town and city in this country.

The photo is a tent city that sprung up in front of the Provincial Court House in downtown Victoria about 6 months ago. It is occupied by hundreds of homeless people. The picture doesn`t capture the scope of the problem. There are hundreds of tents, cardboard boxes , shopping carts and every manner of shelter imaginable.

Homelessness is a huge issue here. Because of the moderate climate, Victoria attracts a lot of people trying to escape harsh Canadian winters. Most of the problems can be traced to the lack of affordable housing which is singularly one of the biggest issues facing our country . Many of the residents of this tent city have mental health issues .

The local and Provincial government are doing everything they can to deal with the situation. As you can imagine the neighbors are not very happy with the encampment, the fires and the noise at all hours of the day and night. Arrangements were made to move a large number of the homeless to other accommodations but just like waves crashing on the shore, another wave of homeless took their place.

I don`t claim to know much about homelessness but one would think that there needs to be a coordinated National Strategy . The solutions here in Victoria are bandaids and we all know that bandaids have a short shelf life.

Many of you will recognize the two faces in this week`s “ Faces in the Crowd.“ They are yet another young couple from far flung places in the world who have chosen Antigonish as the place they plan to put down roots. They will make a significant contribution to the cultural life in our community… and to its gastronomical life as well!!! Stay tuned for “Food For Thought.“

Have a great week.

Posted on April 21, 2016 under Faces in the Crowd with one comment

 

“It’s like a gift wrapped up in barbwire.”

Meet Linda O’Brien

Like many of her peers, Linda grew up in a large family and was a country girl, spending countless hours traipsing through the woods or fishing in the streams near her home. Later on she would become a self-proclaimed gym enthusiast.

In high school she had a knack for sciences, so it was no surprise that she ended up as a medical lab technologist.  “I was very lucky.  I found something that I loved at an early age.”

In the Spring of 2004, a bout of dizziness caused her to have some testing done, thinking that it was merely an inner ear infection.  It turned out to be much worse.  Later that year, she discovered that she had a rare form of cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndrome, or MDS.  At that time a stem cell transplant was the only recourse.  Two family members presented a perfect match.  In April of 2006, she received the life saving transplant from her brother.

Linda’s problems were just beginning.

Initially she got along very well, but high doses of medications and other complications that come from stem cell treatment caused a myriad of issues, including irreversible lung damage.  This would require a double lung transplant.  She spent much of 2007-08 being tested and undergoing rehab in an attempt to become a suitable candidate for the transplant.

Finally, in October of 2008, she was officially put on the list and moved to Toronto.

And waited.

Her days were spent doing physio and exercises to make sure that she would be in the best shape possible to undergo the surgery.  At 1:00 a.m. on March 16, 2009, she was awoken from her sleep. “You got your call.”

“There was no trepidation.  It was excitement,” claims Linda.  “All I wanted in life was to be able to walk and breathe.”  That didn`t seem like an unrealistic goal.

The long road to recovery was not easy.  Linda says that the support of family, friends and her new found transplant support group was the crucial healing remedy.  No one was more important than her mother.  All that, and her unshakeable faith.  “Some days my faith was all that I had to hold onto.”

Now Linda’s job is to maintain her health.  This includes daily medications, and trips to see doctors and other medical specialists.  Because of the unpredictability of her health, many travel plans with friends have been thwarted, but this doesn’t bother Linda.  It’s just part of her “new normal.”

Gratitude.

 

It is hardly a word that one would expect from someone who has been through so much.  Linda broke through the barbwire of poor health to uncover the priceless gift of friendship.  For that she is so very thankful.

 

For more information on how to become an organ donor, go to www.legacyoflife.ns.ca

For those seeking support and information about rare bone marrow disorders, go to www.AAMAC.ca

Plan to attend the first annual Antigonish Transplant Trot on Sunday, June 12 at 10 a.m. at Columbus Field.  You can pre-register at the Running Room: http://events.runningroom.com/hm/index.php

 

 

 

Posted on April 18, 2016 under Storytelling with 2 comments

 

5.05 acres of confusion

Shopping for groceries is one of my chores that I do cheerfully.  I know my way around the store, and can easily find everything that I normally use.  From time to time a recipe throws you a curve ball, and you need a staff member to assist you.  Every five years or so the store does a massive makeover and switches the location of every product, just to make sure that you notice other items in the store that you don’t typically buy … and to confuse senior citizens like me.

It’s one thing to find trouble locating Harissa hot chili paste, but when was the last time you went grocery shopping and couldn’t locate …. your vehicle?

It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon when I entered the Walmart on the outskirts of Victoria.  And make no mistake, this was no ordinary Walmart.  This was a 220,000 square foot behemoth, the largest of its kind in Canada.  On a typical day over 7000 shoppers pass through the checkouts, all 27 of them.  Why would any sane person, let alone a guy from a small town, ever consider going into a place like this?

Curiosity.

With lots of free time on my hands I thought I would grab a few bags of groceries.  The underground parking lot was Disneyesque in size, but wise man that I am, I chose a spot not far from the escalators that take you up to ground zero; the main entrance to the building.

I don’t intimidate easily, but when you’re staring down the barrel of 5.05 acres, well that sets the heart beating just a bit quicker.  The grocery store section could have held both of our major chain stores back home.  Luckily for me there were lots of staff on the floor and I was able to find everything I needed.  I proceeded to the front of the store.  I texted a friend back home, wondering if I would need the Google Maps feature on my iPhone to locate the checkouts.  She politely suggested that I should have left a trail of bread crumbs as I was making the rounds.

Because it was a “slow day” according to the cashier, only 20 of the 27 checkouts were operational.

I exchanged pleasantries with the clerk, who tried to explain to me what it was like in this store during the lead up to Christmas.  I couldn’t even imagine it.  I left the store, proud of myself for having tamed the beast.

That feeling didn’t last long.

Even though I only had a few bags, and could have easily carried them to my vehicle, I just had to try the escalator that is specifically designed to take your shopping cart from the upper level to the parking garage.

I knew roughly where I had parked my brother’s car.  I hadn’t paid really close attention.  I should have. The first pass yielded no results.  Until today, I had been using his wife’s car which was small and red … like the one we own back home.  I wasn’t even sure what the make of his vehicle was.  The keyless entry apparatus wasn’t helpful.

I made two more passes of the garage.  A security guard walked by, but I was too embarrassed to ask him to help me find a vehicle, the make and model which completely eluded me.  Just then, a blind man whisked by and I felt a tad sheepish as he made his way effortlessly through the lot.

The panic button.  I gave myself a good crack on the side of the head when I realized that one press of the button and, presto, my vehicle would show itself.  One small problem; the battery was dead.

The good news was that I had lots of food, in the unlikely possibility that I would have to spend the night huddled in a corner.  And then, my mind cleared and I felt at peace.  I would simply stay there until closing time.  My vehicle would be the last one in the lot!

Just then, a car backed up and in that instant, I spotted the grey Honda.  I was enormously relieved.

A new version of “Amazing Grace” popped into my head.  “I once was lost but now am found … with Tommy’s CR-V.”