My Journey with GBS

  Now this a reply from a letter I wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in May 2020 on why Canadians on disability are not receiving a federal subsidy during the Covid-19 outbreak. Receiving this reply last week, was worth the wait. She gave me links to investigate more on my concerns. One more name to add to my list of Cc’d political names for my letters.  —————————————————————————————————————————— Support for persons with disabilities during the Covid-19 outbreak  Dear Ms. Rutherford:   On behalf of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, I am responding to your email, which was forwarded to her by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, regarding support for persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 outbreak. I regret the delay in replying.   I understand the circumstances that prompted you to write. The Government of Canada recognizes that some vulnerable gr...

  October 27, 2020 Dear Honourable Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health. I am writing to you again to express and bring you my concerns on the decisions you have been making to Alberta’s healthcare system. I had originally wrote and emailed you on July 28, 2020. I had written and emailed to Premier Kenney expressing similar concerns on August 28, 2020 which I had cc’d you on. Then resent the original emails on September 25, 2020 and September 28, 2020 respectively. None of these emails have been returned with a reply or your comments. Needlessly to say it is disappointing and disrespectful to not received any replies. Time and energy are put in all my letters. You see Minister Shandro, I am a quadriplegic from a debilitating disease called Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS), which has left to use a mouth stick to type every letter of every word in my letters. Therefore, it is not uncommon to spend 4 or more hours on a letter. As Alberta healthcare is important to me, I am willing to pu...

  This journey I have been on since my diagnosis of Guillian Barre Syndrome, has been filled with roller coaster rides going up, down and has turned my life upside down. Facing reality, negativity, depression, plenty of tears but seen blessings, silver linings and positivity too. My first two years I faced many challenges just to stay alive, in-hospital complications which some will be with me always. Those complications, though resolved, still puts me at higher risk for infections especially respiratory. Now, living in a LTC facility, I will have the increase anxiety during our annual flu season (Oct - Mar).   Being a quadriplegic and GBS, my nerves were damaged to the point where I have some diaphragm dysfunction affecting my respiratory system. I can no longer able to do those deep coughs to bring up any phlegm that sits on my lower lobes. To assist with coughing, twice a day I have to my lung volume recruitment (LVR). They take the resuscitation bag and push air into my ...

Today is Thanksgiving Monday. Traditionally, this is the time we share what we are thankful for. Share who means so much to you. And of course, sharing a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots and dessert pumpkin or pecan pie. (Makes your mouth begin to water - lol). This year (2020), our traditional thanksgiving has thrown into pieces because of Covid-19 virus. With cases across Canada, some provinces have put stricter restrictions on the last official holiday long weekend of the year. This year, families are not able to share this weekend with their extended families or friends as it has been seen that social gatherings can lead to the spread of the virus. We have been under Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions since March 13, 2020. You can manage for just so long until you are simply done - they call it Covid-19 fatigue. We are all feeling it and I think if anyone tells you they aren’t is in denial or lying to themselves. No one really likes t...

My GBS journey can be split into two ways - my stay in hospital (700 days which included 365 days in the ICU) and my continuing stay in a long term care (LTC) facility (AgeCare-Skypointe, 2 years and counting). Obviously, each way has had a significant on my wellbeing overall (physically, mentally, and emotional). It is a constant roller coaster ride balancing too keep my positive outlook.  Today I am looking at the latter, staying in LTC facility these past 2+ years. When I arrived on August 5, 2018, it was nearing lunch time. So when arrived on my wing, there sitting in the wheelchairs were numerous residents watching tv. My heart sank - this is what I will be facing for the foreseeable future. Definitely didn’t expect to be entering a LTC at the age of 47, let alone as a quadriplegic too. In beginning, my interactions with people consisted of residents at the dining room when I went; my mom until she knew I had settled in before moving back to Thunder Bay; friends would visit me...