Meegwetch to public well being employees

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a really outstanding a part of our lives.

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As a lot as we want to suppose this pandemic is coming to an finish, it’s nonetheless a really harmful interval for many individuals.

This previous month, I misplaced my uncle, Elder Alex Kataquapit, by means of issues from the COVID-19 virus.

At 89 years previous, he was doing effectively for his age till he contracted the virus which fully weakened him and despatched him to hospital.

Older individuals and people with compromised well being points are most in danger from COVID-19 however many youthful individuals are additionally having issues and what is named lengthy COVID.

Uncle Alex was a fantastic man and he was a part of an era of Elders who have been the final to be born and raised on the land and to reside our individuals’s conventional lifestyle.

He spent his total life on the banks of the Attawapiskat River the place his mother and father, James and Janie Kataquapit’s household have been located.

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He and his spouse, Elder Susan Kataquapit, raised a powerful and outstanding household locally.

They raised their youngsters Margaret, Helen, Maurice, David, James, Evelyn, Bertha, Roseline and twins John and Janie.

My cousins have been older than me and I at all times noticed them as siblings who watched out for all of us as we grew up.

There was no larger pleasure than to run round with my youthful cousins on what we noticed because the “Kataquapit homestead.”

Our grandfather had initially settled in a house on a avenue in the midst of the village many years in the past and from there, his son Leo constructed a house close by, then his son Gabriel, his son George and eventually Alex.

All of them had massive households.

Additional down the best way, my father Marius and their brother Thomas additionally raised their households.

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Uncle Alex and aunt Susan’s house was a central place for our total household and it at all times appeared like we ended up of their yard.

It was a protected, thrilling and enjoyable place for all the kids to combine and play video games.

It was unhappy information to listen to that Uncle Alex had contracted the most recent variant of this horrible virus.

My father usually remarked that amongst their brothers, Alex was the strongest.

It was no surprise that Alex had outlived his youthful siblings together with my father Marius and their brothers Gabriel and David, in addition to their older brothers George, Thomas and Leo.

Fortunately we nonetheless have my Aunt Celine Nakogee, who’s the final of Alex’s siblings.

This pandemic additionally hit house for me and my companion Mike not too long ago.

He has a lung situation and not too long ago we each picked up a virus, which was seemingly COVID-19.

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He had hassle respiratory and in a panic we headed to the emergency division late at night time in Kirkland Lake.

As quickly as we arrived, the succesful and type workers made each of us really feel protected and comforted.

We spent the night time in Emergency and within the morning we met with Dr. McPherson.

He was fast, thorough and really variety.

He satisfied Mike it might be a good suggestion to remain within the hospital for a number of days so he might be stabilized and handled.

We couldn’t imagine how supportive, variety and caring all workers members have been throughout these days within the Kirkland and District Hospital (Blanche River Well being).

We discovered many hospital entrance line employees weren’t compensated through the pandemic and they’re nonetheless not, though one other wave of COVID-19 is right here.

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All these lab specialists, cleaners, X-ray technicians, respirologists and different help workers need to cope with COVID=19 sufferers throughout this pandemic and the federal government has not compensated them.

We must always pay attention to this and hope these individuals get the help they deserve.

A number of the individuals I give because of that I met throughout Mike’s keep embrace nurses Fiona, Michelle, Laura, Brianna, Lisa, Affie, Junior, Rachel, Patty, Andrea and Jacob, and naturally Dr. McPherson and Dr. Dozois.

Individuals like these health-care employees are what make our public well being care system nice.

We’re listening to extra about privatization of our public health-care system and we have to push again on that strongly.

In our social democracy in Canada, we have to totally fund public well being care and public training.

We have to do our half for all our hospitals and well being care groups and donate to any of the requirements they want.

Our nurses and medical doctors are those that assist individuals in disaster like my companion and I, or households like my Uncle Alex and his youngsters.

Within the face of privatization of our well being care system, we have to do our half to assist those that assist us probably the most.

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