 Kris Gladwell, MHCF President & CEO It has been just over one year since I joined the MHC family as President & CEO of the MHC Foundation – and what a year it has been!
While I had hoped to meet many of you in person at our 2020 events – such as the Golf Classic, Gala, and Angel Squad – obviously, COVID-19 drastically altered those plans. However, this past year has allowed me to learn about the MHC donor family in an incredibly meaningful way. Thank you. Since the onset of the pandemic, the outpouring of generosity you have shown to Misericordia has been touching and incredibly appreciated. All the messages of support for our health-care heroes have been passed along to them, and your donations have ensured they have continuously remained nourished – physically and emotionally. Your support brings virtual care to MHC by providing new technology and ensuring patients and residents remain connected to their loved ones, preventing social isolation with enhanced programing and services. Your support also helps MHC visitors feel safe as they walk through the halls in the medical-grade masks supplied to them. Please know your generosity at every level is having a tremendous impact on the incredible work taking place at MHC each and every day. On behalf of everyone who has benefited from your support over the last year, thank you. We are beyond grateful. Whatever lies ahead, you can rest assured that MHC’s commitment to providing exceptional and compassionate care will never waver. Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, those on the front lines will continue enhancing patient experiences by incorporating the latest and best practices to re-envision the future of care. As MHC evolves to meet the health-care needs of our community, I am so honoured to lead the Foundation through this exciting time. I invite you to continue to follow Misericordia’s story. We look forward to connecting with you regularly through our MHC Moments e-newsletter, and you can always see what we are up to on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter! Thank you for being a part of the MHC Foundation family. With gratitude, Kris
1 Comment
 From March 2 to May 20, Misericordia Place residents are walking, pedalling and wheeling their way to dream destinations around the globe, in support of MHC. Throughout the Around the World in 80 Days campaign, we'll be sharing participants' stories.
Hugh McMeel speaks with an unmistakable Irish lilt, so it only makes sense his virtual dream destination would be to return to Ireland. Hugh grew up in Augher, Northern Ireland, but has cycled all over Ireland – both Northern and Southern – and has particularly fond memories of cycling to Dublin to watch football games (that’s soccer in Canadian-speak). “I worked in Belfast for a time,” shares Hugh, “It was 20 miles from Augher. I cycled there every week and came home on weekends. “One weekend a friend bet me I couldn’t cycle to Belfast and back in the same day. Of course I did!” No doubt recreation facilitator Rael will put Hugh through his paces on therapy bikes now that she knows he enjoys cycling. Hugh has only been at Misericordia Place a few weeks, but it already feels like home. “I’ve done a lot of travelling in my life,” he says. “I could just stay here with you kind people and not travel any more.” Hugh actually volunteered at Misericordia Health Centre for many years, companioning residents to Mass! Fortunately, Hugh moved in in time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Of course there was a party replete with shamrocks and leprechauns! And staff even arranged for Hugh to virtually chat to a family of Dubliners by the Irish sea. [Editor's note: Our OR nurses, Yvonne & Colleen (profiled below), are now among the more than 30 MHC staff who have been redeployed to work in ICUs and acute care at other hospitals during the third wave of COVID-19. If you are able, please show your support for our health-care heroes by staying home. Click here to read more about the impact of COVID-19 on MHC.]  Yvonne (left) and Colleen (right) During the first wave of the pandemic, members of the operating room (OR) team were reassigned to other program areas at Misericordia, including Colleen Kunderman, registered nurse (RN), who spent two months answering calls on the Health Links – Info Santé COVID-19 line.
“During the second wave, I assumed I might be redeployed to another site,” said Colleen over the phone after working the night shift on Cornish 6, a transitional care unit at MHC. “It was nice to stay on-site at MHC – it’s familiar.” Yvonne Mendoza, RN, is an OR team member who in mid-November, like Colleen, was reassigned to transitional care. “At first I was scared. I thought the change would be overwhelming,” said Yvonne candidly. She continued: “But I remembered that I would bloom where I was planted, because I was there for a reason.” Colleen and Yvonne both spent some time over at Misericordia Place, but primarily worked on Cornish 6 (C6) and Cornish 5 (C5) transitional care units, respectively, for the past two months. With their reassignment came big changes both professionally and personally. Both RNs were accustomed to working eight-hour shifts, Monday to Friday, as well as being on call, and had to adjust to working 12-hour shifts, days, evenings as well as sometimes working seven days on. However, the biggest changes came with the new roles themselves. “In the OR, my interactions with patients were limited to usually five minutes or less. On C6, it’s continual patient care, so my duties included: assessment and taking vitals, administering meds, assisting with feeding and transfers, helping patients FaceTime their families, really everything but admin,” said Colleen. Yvonne, who was reassigned to entrance screening during the first wave of the pandemic, expressed that in moving from the OR to C5, the systems and processes are different, incomparable. “At the end of the day, it was very satisfying working on C5. I learned so many new things with the help of the C5 team – they’re amazing and very supportive,” said Yvonne. With visitation restrictions in place in order to protect patients and residents and help halt the spread of COVID-19, health-care providers are important sources of support and meaningful interaction for clients and residents. “We all have had our difficult moments during COVID. But nothing compares to the experience that some patients and residents have had. They’ve lost spouses and couldn’t attend funerals. They haven’t seen family members in person for months on end. Throughout my experience on C6, it made me see that there was a real need and purpose for me – and my colleagues – in being reassigned.” Colleen and Yvonne have now returned to their usual roles in the OR. To both of these health-care heroes and their colleagues, thank you for helping where needed most at MHC. To support MHC health-care heroes like Yvonne and Colleen, please make your gift today!  From March 2 to May 20, Misericordia Place residents are walking, pedalling and wheeling their way to dream destinations around the globe, in support of MHC. Throughout the Around the World in 80 Days campaign, we'll be sharing participants' stories.
Resident Rita Covernton is right at home painting colourful tulips at Misericordia Place in strong, confident strokes. “I think it’s muscle memory,” says her daughter Janice Beveridge, who shares her Mom is living with dementia. “Mom was primarily an elementary school teacher, however she also taught high school Art and Drama at Morris School. Rita actually taught one of the nurses at Misericordia Place how to paint! Janice makes an educated guess where her Mom would most like to visit in the world. “I think it would be to further explore Germany,” says Janice. “Mom and Dad always said they’d like to go back to Europe. “They visited Wales, where my Dad’s family was from, but only did a river cruise through Germany so she didn't really get to fully research about her family the way she would have liked to. There was not very good record keeping of the family prior to her father coming to Canada. Janice recounts how her maternal grandfather, the youngest of 11 children, was attempting to emigrate to Canada during the First World War - understandably not in agreement with what was happening in Germany - but was turned back and told to enlist. He ended up fighting for the French Foreign Legion in Africa! After the war he did come to Canada, where he met his wife and the rest is history! Janice, a nurse currently working as a COVID-19 immunizer, will be happy when the world safely opens up again with unlimited personal care home visitors and travel. Maybe one day in the future Janice will get to Germany and be able to virtually share the experience with her Mom in real time! You can give the gift of adventure! Support Rita's journey to Munich, Germany - 7,160 km  From March 2 to May 20, Misericordia Place residents are walking, pedalling and wheeling their way to dream destinations around the globe, in support of MHC. Throughout the Around the World in 80 Days campaign, we'll be sharing participants' stories.
To say that Geraldine Anderson likes polar bears is an understatement. The Misericordia Place resident’s room door is adorned with polar bears, she has a polar bear mug, framed pictures of polar bears, a polar bear blanket – you get the idea! Naturally, Geraldine’s dream destination would be to journey throughout the Arctic with special attention to Churchill. “I’d really love to go to the Arctic,” says Geraldine, who also happens to be wearing a polar bear shirt. Geraldine is getting her steps in daily by delivering the Winnipeg Free Press newspapers to the other residents on her floor, an activity that gives her great satisfaction. Recreation facilitator Rael Kulchycki will help Geraldine plot her journey North: from Churchill to Nunavut (Rankin Inlet! Baker Lake! Iqaluit! Pangnirtung!) and finally to Nuuk, Greenland. Rael will also download the new CBC “Arctic Vets” show on the shared iPad for Geraldine’s viewing pleasure! You can give the gift of adventure! Support Geraldine's arctic journey - 7,059km |
