August 12, 2021—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 17
Woman warns people to listen to their bodies Vanessa Sim was constantly thirsty, needed the bathroom frequently and said random things before diagnosis By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter Port Alberni, BC – Vanessa Sim, a Hesquiaht woman, wasn’t feeling well and decided to get checked at West Coast General Hospital on June 18, 2021. “I was endlessly thirsty, needed the bathroom a lot and was feeling confused,” said Vanessa Sim, a wife and mother and grandmother. She said her family was concerned about her because she would blurt out random things, not seeming to make sense. On top of that, her vision was going bad. Concerned about her worsening symptoms, Sim went to visit the emergency department at West Coast General Hospital to get checked out. She sat in triage for four hours before hospital staff asked if she had a blood test. She hadn’t been tested but answers came quickly once the results came back. “You have diabetes,” the doctor blurted from the foot of the bed. There was no sugar-coating it. Sim was left to process her new reality of being a type 2 diabetic. According to Diabetes Canada, type 2 diabetes is a disease in which your body cannot make enough insulin (a hormone that helps control the amount of glucose or sugar in your blood) or does not properly use the insulin it makes. According to the Canadian Journal of Diabetes, Indigenous people around the
world are at higher risk for developing diabetes. “The higher rate of adverse health outcomes in Aboriginal peoples is associated with a number of factors, including lifestyle (diet and physical activity), genetic susceptibility, and historic-political and psychosocial factors, stemming from a history of colonization that severely undermined Aboriginal values, culture, and spiritual practices,” they wrote. In other words, our ancestors were more physically active and ate a healthier diet of seafoods, land mammals, roots, and berries. “People over the age of 40 with a parent or sibling with diabetes are at a higher risk of having type 2 diabetes,” says Diabetes Canada. Sim says her late father and her brother were both diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. But she didn’t recognize the signs. She only knew something was wrong with her body. “I craved orange juice and yogurt drinks,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa. She drank a lot of water to try to relieve her unquenchable thirst. “Drinking too much water dilutes your sodium levels,” she said, adding that this is what brought on confusion. Sim had already started to make healthier food choices prior to her trip to emergency. She stopped taking sugar in her coffee and began eating more salads. Once she started treatment for her
Vanessa Sim condition, she said it was like doing a 180 – things got better quickly. In the five weeks since her diagnosis she dropped 30 pounds. “I stopped having sugary drinks,” she said, adding that she mostly misses her red raspberry slushies from the convenience store. She also spends a lot of time reading food labels to avoid high sugar or carbohydrate foods. Sim began taking prescribed Metformin and spent 90 minutes with a dietician, who taught her what foods she can and can’t eat, and about portion control. “I can have as much veggies as I can,” she said, adding that she’s discovered that she loves hummus as a dip, rather than the
commercial dairy dips and sugary salad dressings. She must monitor her blood sugars everyday with finger pokes to test her blood and she goes to the hospital lab every month for blood tests. “I’m sleeping better, my skin has improved and my vision…I don’t need to wear glasses for driving anymore,” she said. Sim also noticed that her stress levels have gone down. Prior to her diagnosis, Sim said her family ate a lot of take-out food but now she must change what she eats. “Sometimes I really want something I shouldn’t have, but I’ll just have my veggie sticks and hummus and my body feels so much better for doing that,” she said. Sim advises people to get to know their bodies and if something feels off, go get checked. According to Diabetes Canada, diabetes affects one in three Canadians. Diabetes can be managed with healthy food, regular exercise, and in most cases, medication. They go on to say a good first step is to cut out highly processed foods, refined grains such as white bread, sugary food, and sugary drinks. Instead, plan your meals around vegetables, plant-based proteins, whole grains, dairy, lean meats, oily fish, nuts, and healthy oils such as olive oil. And remember to keep moving by going for walks or other regular exercise.
Upgrades and conversion planned for Beaufort Hotel By Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor Port Alberni, BC - The Beaufort Hotel in Port Alberni’s Uptown could soon see renovations and upgrades that would convert the former convention centre into supportive and low-barrier housing. The Bread of Life and the Lookout Housing and Health Society from Vancouver have entered into a purchase agreement to buy the hotel. There are currently 19 units in the building, all of which are occupied. The Bread of Life and Lookout are hoping to renovate the building to accommodate at least 50 units. No current residents would be displaced during construction. John Edmondson, board member and officer at the Bread of Life, said funding for the purchase and renovations will most likely come from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) rapid housing funding. He said the Bread of Life had previously applied for the funding through the CMHC and were very close to being approved but funds ran out. “We were told ‘Don’t worry, when the next funds are announced we’re first in line and we’ll get to you.’ Fortunately for us that next round was announced about a week ago,” Edmondson said at a July 26 Port Alberni city council meeting. “The reason this fund is so appealing to not only us, but the rest of Canada, is this is a grant, it’s a 100 per cent grant for all expenses except for operations.” Edmondson said while waiting for funding, the Bread of Life met with Lookout Society and started talking about their approach and plans for the Beaufort Hotel. “About a month ago we signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to purchase and renovate the Beaufort Hotel and turn it into an operation centre and housing for about 50 rooms,” Edmondson said. “Just last week, Lookout
Photo by Karly Blats
The Beaufort Hotel could soon see renovations and upgrades that would convert the uptown building into supportive and low-barrier housing. at [the hotel]. It’s an amazing building, entered into a purchase agreement on the it looks pretty rough inside but there’s Beaufort, so we feel like we’re making progress.” huge potential. It’s a very solid building,” Puchmayr said. “We don’t come in If the partners can secure the funding, and evict people when we do make these they estimate about $3.5 million will be used for renovations. The purchase would purchases, especially when they’re a lowalso include the parking lot across from income building. The only time we move them out is when they decide to move on the hotel. Lookout Society has been providing to other places.” minimal-barrier housing and services Puchmayr added that what’s left of a kitchen facility on the main floor of the for homeless people for 50 years in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. building could be renovated and used for They currently have 55 sites, including in a culinary program that Lookout currently provides to clients on the mainland. Victoria and Duncan and about one-third of Lookout clients identify as Métis or Mary Campbell, long time staff member First Nations. with Lookout, said they hope to have 24/7 staff on-site once renovations are Chuck Puchmayr, president of Lookout Society, told Port Alberni council that he complete. sees great opportunity for the Beaufort “All of Lookout services are trauma-informed, minimum-barrier. We understand Hotel. “I’ve been to Port Alberni and looked that people who are homeless have a lot
more challenges other than just not having money or a home,” Campbell said. “Many are suffering with substance use, mental health challenges, physical disabilities and I’d say every single person we see has some kind of trauma in their background. We really have developed this large component of health supports.” Campbell said Lookout is confident in their ability to manage large construction and renovation projects, as they have constructed eight buildings from scratch making them suitable for homeless individuals. “We also have good relationships with funders, BC Housing and Island Health,” Campbell said. “We do have three contracts with Island Health in Victoria and Duncan right now. We’re quite confident in this and we’re excited about the possibility of this project and being successful on it.” The purchase of the Beaufort and bringing in an outside service provider like Lookout aligns with one of the recommendations on a BC Housing report released in March from a third-party review that looked into operational concerns surrounding the Port Alberni Shelter Society’s management of two Port Alberni shelters. It was recommended that an alternate shelter or housing facility with strong mental health and substance use supports be developed in Port Alberni by a different service provider and with collaboration from local First Nation’s representatives. Port Alberni council will write a letter of support to help Lookout and the Bread of Life secure funding. “I’m really excited to see how this process goes for you and hopefully see this come to fruition in our community,” said Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions. “There’s certainly a need and I think you’ll be a great proponent to make a positive improvement here.”
