Battling Through Adversity

I'm sharing my medical story with you, hoping you'll consider supporting the Health Sciences Centre Foundation. I also hope that you'll be inspired to push through times of adversity and strive to live life to its fullest.

In October 2020, I went to an urgent care centre feeling achy, nauseous, and feverish. This was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I had been working in the hospital as a medical student. I thought that I had the virus or the flu. I thought I'd be treated for dehydration, offered some pain relief, and be sent home. I thought wrong, and wouldn't be sent home for two months. My condition worsened quickly and dramatically. Within mere hours, my legs became very weak and I developed excruciating back pain. Soon, I couldn't feel my legs at all.

I required specialized care, and was sent to HSC Winnipeg. An MRI showed that I had transverse myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord). After more testing, I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself. The doctors explained that my SLE caused a spinal cord injury that resulted in paralysis.

The disease, its impact on my body, and the road of recovery were made clear to me. I knew the importance of this clarity as a medical student who would normally be explaining things to patients. Now I was the patient lying in bed while my dreams of becoming a plastic surgeon were dwindling.

Optima focuses on global expansion

On February 1, 1970, David Lee founded Keystone Cash Register Ltd., now known as Optima. At that time, his business focused on rebuilding, reselling and servicing mechanical cash registers.Along with two trained technicians, Lee, who had also received technical training by National Cash Register, worked out of an office on Provencher Boulevard. Lee determined that the steep competition in Winnipeg was not profitable, so he sought a way to stand out from the crowd.“I made up my mind that I didn’t want to be competing with everyone in a small city, I thought that there must be clients out of town wanting to do business,” he says.“I loaded up cash registers in my station wagon, which was painted all over saying ‘Keystone Cash Register: Sales, Service, Rentals. Why Pay More?’ Then I took a drive to Swan River.”After he arrived, he stopped at a local hotel for a slice of apple pie. When he came back out, he discovered multiple business cards tucked under his wiper blades from people looking for cash register sales and service.After three days in Swan River, he had sold all the machines in his station wagon, while also collecting fees for service. After that, he branched out to other Manitoba communities, such as The Pas, where he became the go-to guy for everything register-related.“We had to walk the road less travelled. We gained all this business in rural Manitoba, and that became our mode of operation. At the same time, people in these communities didn’t have to go to the city to buy a cash register because they knew I’d be coming there soon in my billboard car,” Lee says.“If we hadn’t done this, we’d be struggling in the city where nobody knows us. We’d be fighting to sell one or two machines. Our ideas about export began when we started to ship to rural Manitoba by bus.”In 1982, a decade after the company was incorporated, Lee approached a customer who repeatedly ordered three cash registers at a time. He found out the man was shipping the machines to Argentina for his uncle to sell. A new law in Argentina required all businesses to have a cash register, Lee explains.Lee flew to Argentina and met with the military government, providing advice about how to manage the distribution for the entire country. At the end of the conversation, Lee left with an order for 10,000 electronic cash registers.“This stabilized our company,” recalled Lee, who speaks Spanish fluently. “But things were changing because there were now electronic cash registers (ECRs).”In 1986, Lee noticed that a cash register company called Sweda was falling behind in its technology. He spoke to the boss of Sweda’s Dallas-based office and told him he could save their company. As a result, he began sending containers each month of Uniwell ECRs, designed by Optima, created in custom colours for the company. Lee also flew to Mexico City to visit the privately owned Sweda branch and the owner decided to buy ECRs from him directly.At the same time, Lee began doing business in the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic.In the 1990s, he started to sell fiscal registers to Argentina and Brazil. ECR sales to other global destinations continued, including to Ukraine, Slovakia, Pakistan, Cuba and beyond. He offered an incentive program called Key Bucks to encourage Dealers to sell his products.“With an export business, you just can’t keep going where everyone else is going,” Lee says.Throughout the decades, the Manitoba Company continued to remain on the cutting edge of the industry. During the pandemic, they began to assemble their own line of made-in-Canada point-of-sale systems, complete with their own GoPOS software, called the APOS series.Lee’s son Jason is vice-president of sales and operations for the family business. He recently joined the World Trade Centre Winnipeg’s Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) to gain information about selling their new product globally.“The TAP program allowed myself and Alex Yero, who handles operations in South America, to learn more about what was offered through the World Trade Centre. We learned a lot on how to continue what my father was doing as well as other ways of reaching out,” he says.“By taking the TAP program, it allowed us to safely export our business into other countries to expand. That’s where the TAP program was very useful for us.”Marking a milestone, Optima (formerly Keystone Cash Registers) is the 100th graduate of the Trade Accelerator Program. And through TAP, Optima recently connected with the Canadian consulates in Colombia and Chile.“The consulates reassure us that the businesses we’re dealing with outside the country are legitimate, which removes a lot of legwork that my father had to do himself in the old days,” he says.“Today, for other companies to expand and start exporting, there are a lot more tools available. My advice to them is to research, contact the World Trade Centre, ask questions about the markets you want to go after — and just go for it. The TAP program is very educational.”Likewise, David Lee offers a few words of wisdom as the founder and President of the successful company.“You have to think out of the box,” he says. “When you get out of the box, the world opens up.”

To learn more about Optima, visit www.optimagopos.ca. To learn more about World Trade Centre Winnipeg’s Trade Accelerator Program, visit https://www.wtcwinnipeg.com/trade-accelerator-program/

Physiotherapists supporting Manitobans with disabilities

Most people know someone in their life who is affected by a disability in some way. Whether this is an intellectual or physical disability, one acquired later in life or at birth, a common thread is that Physiotherapy can and should play an important role in helping individuals live, and live well, with a disability.

Because disability takes on many forms and presentations, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to Physiotherapy treatment. Rather, your Physiotherapist will work with you and your support network to create a treatment plan that focuses on individual goals, which may include promoting gross motor development in your infant or child, returning to a prior level of function, accessing your home and community environment, reducing pain, improving participation in leisure and recreation activities, or returning home following a hospital stay. Whatever the goal, improving quality of life is the fundamental backbone of Physiotherapy.

As trained professionals in rehabilitation, mobility equipment and accessibility, Physiotherapists are well-equipped to help you meet your goals as part of an interdisciplinary team. They may use their skills to determine and treat underlying causes of pain or limitations in movement and function, respiratory techniques to help with airway clearance or appropriate transfer/lift methods. Physiotherapists may also provide recommendations on gross motor development, individualized stretching/exercise programs, wheelchair and seating systems, and other equipment such as positioning devices, orthotics, mobility equipment and mobility aids.

Physiotherapists in Manitoba treat individuals with disabilities in a variety of environments. You may see one in hospital upon an initial injury or diagnosis for early mobility, respiratory techniques, equipment and positioning. Physiotherapists may also be part of your rehabilitation journey either in an inpatient, outpatient clinic or home-based setting to improve mobility and independence and to maximize participation in the community. You may encounter Physiotherapists working in private homes, daycares, schools, adult day programs and workplaces delivering care to best support Manitobans with disabilities over the course of their lifetime. Physiotherapists can continue to play a role in your health over the long term, in order to prevent secondary complications of disability and encourage lifelong activity and participation.

A community campaign for surgical innovation at HSC

"We are at a pivotal time in health care in Manitoba and I am confident that Operation Excellence is the right way forward. This campaign is a game-changer and I am proud to support it."-Mike Moore, Operation Excellence Donor

Your support will end wait times for diagnostic tests and surgeries, and help HSC deliver tomorrow's health care-today.

Learn more and donate at OperationExcellence.ca or call 204-515-5612 or toll-free at 1-800-679-8493.

Second Chances Happen Here

Across our city and province there are animals (and their humans) in crisis. Many are simply looking for their next meal. It takes many heroes to help keep the Winnipeg Hu-mane Society (WHS) in operation and working to ensure no animal goes hungry.

Sadia and Sharukh volunteer their time as WHS Emergency Pet Food Bank Drivers, collecting and distributing pet food for families in need. Growing up in the Islamic faith, they were encouraged to donate, a core belief and practice of Islam.

“It is important to both of us to give back to the community in any way we can, whether it’s financially or with our time,” says Sharukh. So every month, Sadia and Sharukh load up their car and deliver much needed pet supplies to families who need a helping hand.

These two heroes, plus countless others have delivered food to 1040 families this year, keeping furry bellies full and pets in their homes. We can’t do it without you.

Canadians’ financial confidence and trust in the economy down: IG Wealth Management report

Canadians’ overall financial confidence has dropped 11 per cent in the last year and trust in the economy is declining, according to a new report.

IG Wealth Management’s fifth annual Financial Confidence Index, which tracks and reports on Canadians’ overall financial confidence through 10 survey questions, has found that Canadians aged 35 to 54 reported the largest decrease in confidence, down 17 per cent from 2021.

“While Canadians are concerned about volatile markets, inflationary pressures and rising interest rates, interestingly, many remain relatively confident about the state of their personal financial situation,” said Christine Van Cauwenberghe, Head of Financial Planning at IG Wealth Management.

“It was their concern for the overall economy, and where things could be headed, that was primarily responsible for the decrease in their overall financial confidence, with most Canadians believing the country is currently in recession.”

When your need is urgent

“Kelley, we need to reboot your heart."

Kelley Turnbull and her husband, Rick, had been watching TV at home one evening in the fall of 2017, and her heart rate had shot up to 140 beats per minute, twice her normal resting heart rate. She could feel it racing. Rick rushed her to St. Boniface Hospital’s Emergency Department, where she was seen right away. Three months before her visit to Emergency, Turnbull had open-heart surgery at St. Boniface to replace her aortic valve. The mechanical valve she now had sounded to her like a Timex wristwatch in her chest, and she could hear it ticking away. She wondered if she was in trouble. Startled, she asked, “What do you mean by ‘reboot’? Like a laptop computer?”

“We’re going to use a drug to stop your heart,” the physician in the room explained. “Then, the same drug will start it again, and it will return to a normal rate.” She knew she didn’t have a choice. A nurse held her hand because she was scared.

“Busy as they were in the Emergency Department, it wasn’t, the hustle-bustle, rush me through. They took the time at St. Boniface to let me know I was going to be OK, and I was,” she said. “I felt secure, and that’s an amazing feeling when you’re going through something traumatic.” It was time. Her husband was with her. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her heart was beating normally. The reboot had worked!

A community campaign for surgical innovation at HSC

"With the support of generous Manitobans, we can ensure that HSC stays on the leading edge of health care for years to come. Together, we will equip HSC with the latest in diagnostic and surgical technology for all Manitobans. Thank you for your support!"

-Tina Jones, O.M., Chair, HSC Foundation Board of Directors

Your support will end wait times for diagnostic tests and surgeries, and help HSC deliver tomorrow's health care-today.

Learn more and donate at OperationExcellence.ca or call 204-515-5612 or toll-free at 1-800-679-8493.

Momentum builds for MoveMobility

A growing Manitoba business is driving forward with its efforts to help others by removing barriers to transportation and health care.

MoveMobility got its start by designing and manufacturing wheelchair-accessible conversions to original equipment manufactured vehicles. CEO Richard Jones began pondering vehicle modifications 30 years ago in an attempt to find safer and more comfortable ways to transport his sister-in-law, who lives with spina bifida.

“It sowed the seeds of why we’re in business — we like to care for individuals who need a safe method of transportation. We were in a completely different market space for vehicle modifications and we were getting asked if we do wheelchair-accessible vehicles. That led us into the market here in Winnipeg,” he says.

“There was no one doing it and there was such a demand. Advance to today and we’ve developed a range of innovative solutions for safe transportation. We have a solution that’s economical and meets industry standards and safety codes.”

Meet Bereket Ezuz

If you reflect on some of your happiest memories, what would they be? A celebratory meal at your favourite restaurant? The first meal you shared with your partner, or the look on your child's face when you brought their birthday cake aglow with candles?

In many cultures, the act of eating with others is a major means of bonding. As someone who was born and raised in Eritrea, Africa, where eating together is so significant that families eat from one plate, you can imagine the physical and emotional pain I endured when I started being unable to swallow food and felt anxious eating around others. I had trouble swallowing for a few years, but it wasn't until 2018 when the strain built to an intolerable level. My family doctor referred me to Dr. Biniam Kidane, a thoracic surgeon at HSC Winnipeg.

Dr. Kidane discovered I had Zenker's diverticulum, a pouch that forms at the beginning of the digestive tract. The pouch formed because the muscle between my throat and esophagus would not relax while swallowing. Because of this, food would get stuck in my throat or pouch, causing regurgitation. If left untreated, I ran the risk of aspiration pneumonia-an infection from food and saliva getting trapped in my lungs, choking, malnutrition-among other horrible outcomes.

Dr. Kidane performed a Z-POEM procedure-a new, highly specialized, non-invasive technique. Thanks to Dr. Kidane - a renowned thoracic surgeon and one of the few doctors who perform this procedure in North America-I went home the next day and regained my ability to eat almost immediately. Prior to 2018, I would have had open surgery where my neck would be cut to find the pouch. Thanks to HSC Foundation donors, I received a procedure that was more precise, with less recovery time, fewer complications, less pain-and freed up the operating room and staff resources as this procedure now happens in the donor-funded Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit.

Physiotherapy and Your Joint Replacement

Total knee and hip replacement surgeries are becoming more common in our aging population. The leading cause for needing a joint replacement is due to osteoarthritis (degeneration due to chemical and physical changes)in your hip or knee joint. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wait times for these surgeries have increased, leaving people struggling with how to deal and live with a painful joint. Many people in this situation may have questions about what they can do before their surgery to increase their quality of life, get stronger, have less pain and be prepared for a joint replacement. Many people think the role of physiotherapy is only for after surgery, but seeing a physiotherapist pre-operatively can have great benefit too.

What to Expect Seeing a Physiotherapist Pre-Operatively

An assessment will take place where your physiotherapist will ask numerous questions about your history of pain, your goals, and your current activity levels. Your therapist will then assess general movement which may include walking, balance, range of motion and strength. After a thorough assessment your physiotherapist can prescribe an exercise program targeted to your goals and current function. Your therapist may also educate you regarding walking aides (cane or walkers), what to expect during and after surgery, and how to transfer in and out of a bed. Physiotherapy pre-operatively can begin at anytime, whether surgery is one to two weeks away, or you have yet to receive a surgery date -- it’s never too late or too early. The main goal of preoperative physiotherapy is to optimize movement and strength to help increase quality of life and promote the best outcomes post surgery.

What to Expect Seeing a Physiotherapist Post-Operatively

How working with a financial advisor can help you achieve your long-term goals in any market

November is Financial Literacy Month, however, the majority of Canadians (nearly 70 per cent) feel like they aren’t financially healthy. And it’s no wonder, either. With phrases like market volatility, inflation, interest rates and even recession looming large in news articles and reports all over. Planning for your financial future is a long-term game, and as such, it requires the right kind of expertise. That’s where a trained and experienced financial advisor comes in.

A recent study conducted by IG Wealth Management and Pollara Strategic Insights revealed that many Canadians are feeling overwhelmed and uncertain due to current market conditions and dramatic fluctuations. Almost half of Canadians (46 per cent) expect advice from their banks, but less than a third (29 per cent) say they actually receive such service. Relying only on a bank for financial recommendations means there is the potential to miss out on other important aspects that comprise a well-rounded financial plan. People who work with a qualified financial advisor, on the other hand, are 28 per cent more confident navigating the current market conditions than those who do not.

“Financial confidence is the foundation for building overall financial well-being, and that’s our ultimate goal for all Canadians,” says Christine Van Cauwenberghe, Head of Financial Planning for IG Wealth Management. “The key is dealing with an advisor who is capable of taking a more holistic approach to your finances. When you're doing financial planning, it's not just about your investment portfolio, you want to look at things like risk protection; do you have enough life, disability and critical illness insurance? Have you looked at your tax situation? Maybe you're not claiming all the proper tax credits.”

“Ensure that you have a goal-based financial plan. A lot of people have an investment portfolio or a bank account and are aware of the dollar figure in that portfolio, but they don't really know if that amount of money will be enough to meet their goals,” she explains.

Healthy pigs, high-quality pork

The over 14,000 Manitobans who make their living in the hog sector share a set of values focused on animal care that guides their work every day. This keen focus on keeping pigs healthy and cared for has made our province’s hog sector a respected world leader in producing safe, high-quality protein.

Each day, hog farmers live up to the progressive 105 Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs requirements, and animal care is assessed stringently as part of federally recognized assurance programs. Farmers, veterinarians, herdspersons, swine technicians, swine nutritionists, livestock transporters, and barn managers are just some of the people who play a vital role in keeping pigs safe and healthy. Over 2,500 people across the province are employed on-farm as swine technicians and managers alone. These highly skilled employees ensure pigs receive individualized care each day.

Training programs help provide workers with a strong background in key animal care principles. Workers learn knowledge, skills, resources, and workplace values that help reinforce the empathy and high standards of animal care the sector expects.

An example of the sector’s commitment to training is the new Swine Production Foundations program at Assiniboine Community College, developed in collaboration with Manitoba Pork and other sector experts. The program gives students a strong understanding of what it takes to help feed the world while enjoying high job security. Students can complete this self-directed online program entirely at their own pace, with a high level of interactivity and self-assessment.

Be part of the healthcare solution

The University of Manitoba is taking major steps to combat the province's healthcare crisis — expanding enrolment capacity in the Bachelor of Nursing program and accelerating its completion time.

“There’s a high vacancy rate within the nursing workforce throughout the province, so as a provider of nursing education we feel that we have an opportunity to make a difference and provide leadership in addressing that nursing shortage,” said Dr. Netha Dyck, dean, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

"We recognize that the nursing shortage has a serious impact on the ability to provide quality care and we have the opportunity to really make that difference.”

A third intake of 120 students will be added beginning in May 2023 — increasing the number of students in the program in Winnipeg from 240 to 360.

When your need is critical

Andrea Budnick has been a nurse on the Specialty Resource Team in St. Boniface Hospital’s Emergency Department for the last three years.

“I’m proud to work at St. Boniface, and of the care my colleagues and I provide, but if you’ve ever been to our Emergency Department, you know that there are limitations with the current space,” she said.There is hope on the horizon, however.

Community donors are at the heart of a major redevelopment and expansion project that is underway. It will transform the Emergency Department into a care setting where design and location maximize efficiency, leading to better and more timely care.

The Emergency Department sees about 47,000 emergency patient visits each year, or around 130 patients per day, and the numbers are growing.