The Prince Albert Fire Department make a donation to Give A Little Life Day on Dec. 2 (Victoria Hospital Foundation/Facebook)

By paNOW Staff

GIVE A LITTLE LIFE DAY

Community support grows as Give A Little Life Day Radiothon continues

Dec 2, 2022 | 10:45 AM

Donations have been pouring in for the Victoria Hospital Foundation at the start of this year’s Give a Little Life Day Radiothon.

As of 5 p.m. Friday afternoon, the total raised is $204,704.28 with a goal of raising more than $300,000 for this year’s event.

Among those donations was a $10,000 gift from Prakash Consulting and $100 from Halle Twyver and her brother. The siblings have been donating to the Radiothon since they were little and continued that tradition this year. Halle said she raised the money by teaching dance classes and cutting and selling wood.

They also put out a challenge to all U11 Yetis, PAMSA ASTROS, and U9 Blackhawks to match or beat their donations.

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Dr. Louis Poulin, a retired physician and former Board Chair of the Hospital Foundation made a substantial donation of $52,540 on behalf of the Emma Lake Golf Course.

The Prince Albert Police Association presented a cheque for $2,000 while Prince Albert Pul Incorporated donated $4,000.

Donations from this year’s Radiothon will go towards much-needed equipment for the hospital, particularly in the emergency room.

“We’re looking for ECG Machines that actually have wireless transmission,” said Nursing Unit manager Tammy Gillis. “We are also looking at a mass transfusion infuser. We have one but definitely need one more.”

She added that every piece of equipment upgrade they receive benefits their patients and in turn, the entire community.

“We want to be ready and willing to do everything we can when something unfortunate does happen in your life.”

It’s that aspect of helping the community that the Board Chair for the VHF Lyle Karasiuk is passionate about.

Speaking to Lew Harrison with Beach Mornings, Karasiuk explained that supporting the Hospital Foundation means you are giving a helping hand to local health care.

“It is our hospital, my hospital, your hospital,” he said. “If you’re having a medical emergency, you’re going to be first here at our Victoria Hospital and you’re going to receive the best possible care that our teams can give you.”

He added the hospital also provides care for communities throughout northern and north central Saskatchewan, pointing to their enhanced ICU as an example as many babies throughout the region are born at the Victoria Hospital.

One member of the community that knows the needs of the hospital well is Arne Lindberg. This past September, Lindberg completed his treatment for cancer.

In talking to Lew Harrison, he used the story of his favourite chairs and how he loved spending time with his grandkids while sitting in those chairs. However, last spring, he found himself sitting in a different seat, the infusion chair at the hospital’s Cancer Centre.

“From when I received my diagnosis in March through biopsies and mark replacements and chemotherapy and finally radiation, there’s been a lot of sitting, reflecting in fear,” he recalled. “When we were blessed to ring the bell to celebrate the completion of my treatment in September, gratitude replaced fear.”

His wife Elaine was holding back tears as she recounted the diagnosis, the treatment, and how the hospital and their neighbours came together to help.

“I just can’t tell you how a weight was lifted off my shoulders that he was done this treatment and we could get on with our lives,” she said. “I’m just so grateful for all the people that helped us along the way, especially at the Hospital and the Cancer Centre.”

It was that community support that Arne said, encouraged him to press on during his months of treatment.

“If you’re going through something, if you’re going through Cancer, there are people out there who are available to help you. We need to make this circle of support bigger and we can do that through the Victoria Hospital Foundation.”

The 17th annual Give a Little Life Day radiothon runs live Friday, Dec. 2, from Mann Northway GM and will be broadcast on Pattison Media radio stations Power99 FM, 101.5 Beach Radio, and 900 CKBI from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Residents are encouraged to stop by Mann Northway to make a donation, donate online at www.givealittlelife.ca or call 1-855-816-LIFE (5433) during the broadcast to make your pledge.

“Every dollar that this community raises to support the Victoria Hospital turns right back into the community to provide those much-needed tools and equipment that the hospital depends on,” said Karasiuk.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow