Nicko Karpan of Martensville Named 2023 Saskatchewan Champion Child

As a 16-year-old who has taken on some of the most daunting medical challenges, Nicko Karpan from Martensville, SK, knows exactly why it’s important to give back to other kids in hospital. Nicko has been selected as the Saskatchewan Ambassador, representing Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, for the Children’s Miracle Network Champions Program.

Nicko was born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, his back was completely open when he was born, and at a few days old he underwent two separate lifesaving surgeries. Both surgeries resulted in an excessive amount of blood loss, meaning that Nicko’s only chance of making a comeback was to fight for his life. Nicko spent the first three weeks of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Nicko has been to the hospital for numerous surgeries, CT & MRI scans, X-ray check-ups every six to 12 months, and he has visited day surgery at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital multiple times for bladder and kidney testing and injections. Saskatchewan’s newly selected Champion Child knows first-hand how scary a hospital can be for kids and looks to inspire other children to share their stories to encourage others and support kids in their journey.

“It’s very nice to have people there to encourage you and help you through the hard times,” said Nicko. “I’ve gotten used to learning how to do the same things that other people do, but there could just be a different path I have to take to get it done. I feel very honoured and privileged that I was chosen as the Champion Child. Thank you for supporting Saskatchewan families and kids like me.”

Nicko is no stranger to being an ambassador for Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. He has shared his heartfelt story live on air at the Foundation’s provincial Radiothon, delivered speeches at multiple events including Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Week and Dairy Queen Miracle Treat Day, and in the fall of 2022 Nicko emceed a live in-person gift announcement for Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.

“Nicko and his family have been strong advocates for the Foundation since 2016, and we are so proud that he will be representing Saskatchewan kids as Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation 2023 Champion Child,” said Jada Kook, Community Engagement Manager at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Nicko’s generous heart and commitment to helping kids in hospital makes him a true Champion and we know he will do an outstanding job representing our province’s children and families.”

As part of the Champions Program, ambassadors from across Canada are invited to attend Children’s Hospitals Week events in the spring in Orlando to meet with ambassadors from across North America.

Carson Garneau from Saskatoon passes the Champion Child torch to Nicko. Carson was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic tissue disorder. Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation is thankful for Carson’s commitment as he represented Saskatchewan children and families in hospital as Champion Child this past year.

Read more about Nicko’s story by visiting https://pattisonchildrens.ca/howyou-help/who-you-help/meet-our-kids/nicko-k/.

Passions Beauty Studio and The Barber Corner Expand to New Location

Jocelyn Ottenbreit, Martensville Messenger

What started out as a house on Central Street East in Warman, has turned into so much more after 22-year-old Chelsey Harder (Bloodworth), had a vision to turn the house into a salon. With the support of her parents and boyfriend (now husband) Cory, and many hours of hard labor, they expanded Passions Beauty Studio, and for fourteen years, 106 Central Street East in Warman, SK was her salon home.

During that time many talented people joined in her journey to offer salon, spa, nail, and tanning services to their large client base. In 2017 her husband Cory joined their team and added ‘The Barber Corner’ to their list of services.

Although this space served them well for many years, demand and growth in this popular salon made bigger space a necessity.

“We were busting at the seams at our old location, but we weren’t finished having our family so timing wasn’t good before. When COVID hit and our business shut down, our last child was only 2 months old. It was an unknown time, and Cory and I had that time to spend focusing on growth. We took the time together as a positive and started looking for commercial land to purchase,” said Harder

Their new commercial space is approximately 6000 square feet featuring 15 salon/barber chairs, 4 pedicure stations for groups and wedding parties, 2 massage therapists, 1 nail technician, 3 skincare technicians, 2 spa technicians, 3 receptionists and a staff/education room.

Harder is very excited about their new, spacious, unique salon and is very appreciative of all the help she and her husband Cory received along the way to make their dream a reality.

They held a Grand Opening Celebration night on Monday, February 13th to celebrate their new space offering lattes, bubblies, snacks, salon, spa and barber tours along with door prizes. Matt Gore, the International Award-Winning Comedy Magician even came out to show off his amazing magic tricks!

Check out their new location at 410 Central Street in Warman or go to their Facebook page, Instagram @passionsbeautystudio, or online at passionsbeautystudio.com. To book an appointment on line go to; https://www.passionsbeautystudio. com/book-now or call (306) 382-9707.

Health Care Reform Needs Experts, Not Politicking

The provinces got more health care dollars from Ottawa - an estimated $196.1-billion more in the next 10 years that will include $46.2 billion in new spending for things that go beyond that has been already budgeted. Already, premiers are complaining it’s not enough.

It likely isn’t enough, but it’s never going to be enough if we simply keep doing the same things in health care delivery and administration that we’ve always done.

Sure, handing over more money to the provinces might even be a good temporary fix in the same way that last September’s announcement by Health Minister Paul Merriman for Saskatchewan to spend and added $60 million on recruitment of doctors and especially nurses from the Philippines is a good way to keep your local emergency room from shutting its doors.

It will help for now, but with serious questions as to whether this money will be going to fix health care problems - or, in some cases, go towards health care at all - it’s highly questionable whether this is a long-term fix.

One big problem seems to be that provinces like Saskatchewan can’t seem to put aside their political differences long enough to find short-term fixes in health care.

Consider a recent story from The Canadian Press that reveals emails obtained through freedom of information show federal Public Safety officials were surprised by Merriman’s Oct. 18, 2021 request for help in the COVID-19 fight.

The request came just before Saskatchewan began flying out - at great cost to taxpayers - desperately ill COVID-19 patients to Ontario and else because emergency beds in this province were above capacity.

This doesn’t sound like a provincial government that was putting the health dollars it had already received to best use. Consider the pain, suffering and cost at the time that maybe could have been at least partially avoided.

Moreover, the emails suggest Ottawa even offered help to the Saskatchewan government that - at the timewas soliciting help from as far away as New York and Pennsylvania. Saskatchewan didn’t get the help from the U.S. it requested.

What all this points to is a need to set aside the politics and bickering and take a fresh look at how to improve a national public system run by each local province.

This will require co-operation, but it may also require everyone to think beyond their political viewpoint. Maybe the best way to do that is to stop listening to the politicians simply demanding more money and start listening to more knowledgeable voices advocating true reform.

One such person is Peter Nicholson who has held most ever senior administrative position imaginable ranging from advisor to the prime minister's office to executive positions at ScotiaBank and BCE Inc. to founding the Council of Canadian Academies.

In a recent policy brief entitled "Repairing Health Care in Canada: Time to Take the First Step", Nicholson wrote for the University of Regina's Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and the expert contended that “Canada does not have a world-class health-care system".

To regain one, Canada’s public health-care system needs to change, but the problem is it has been “remarkably resistant to significant reform," Nicholson said.

The first change would be simply ending the practice of handing the provinces more cash that "has reduced the incentive for reform," Nicholson wrote.

Instead, the provinces should be given more taxing power and there should be improvements to the equalization formula, he said. "For purely political reasons, provinces have nevertheless welcomed an annual block of cash without responsibility for the tax rates needed to fund it," the long-time executive noted, but Nicholson also advocated a private insurance component like other countries with public health care systems.

A perfect solution? Maybe not, but it sure beats simply throwing more money at the problem.

Mental Health Matters

E-mail judy@prairieskyeducation.ca

Phone or Text: 306-986-2663

Website: www.drjudyjaunzemsfernuk.com

Mental Health: Is the Crisis Real?

The Centre for Addictions and Mental Health Canada states: the world is in the grips of a mental health crisis, also noting however, that knowing the facts is the first step on the way to creating new hope. Let’s talk about it!

First some statistics :

• 75% of children with mental disorders do not have access to specialized treatment services;

• Youth aged 15 – 24 are highly vulnerable;

• In a 2019 survey of working Canadians, 75% of respondents said they would be reluctant – or would refuse – to disclose a mental illness to an employer or co-worker. The top reasons for this reluctance were: o the belief that there is stigma around mental illness, o not wanting to be treated differently or judged, and o being afraid of negative consequences, such as losing one’s job.

One of the most interesting facts about these last few statements, is that, 76% of respondents to the same survey stated that they themselves would be completely comfortable with and supportive of a colleague with a mental illness.

Here-in Lies the Hope! - With just a wee bit of awareness around some of the aforementioned facts, we can learn to shift our thinking, from thoughts focused on problems, to being more focused on problem solving. As humans we are excellent navigators of problems and adept at solving them when we have the tools to do so. Here are a few tools to shift your focus away from the crisis and into your power

Change Directions Change Lives - Change Directions Change Lives was the slogan for one of the first collective mental health campaigns in Canada, in 2012; and since that time, despite a global pandemic, not much has changed. Some statistics for mental health have risen, some fallen, and the rollercoaster of risk versus resilience factors continues. The fact remains, if we succumb to overwhelm at the thought of crisis, we can remain stuck, so let’s change directions.

There are four key factors to our overall health that shake out, in this order, no matter the study or year; they are, 1) relationships, 2) environment, 3) resources, and 4) biology o Smile at people; o Be patient and kind; o Practice self-care, so you are strong for your people; o Name and regulate your big emotions (calm the nervous-system) and model and teach this to kids; o Be ok with mistakes and imperfections – failure, problems, adversity – can teach and strengthen us.

The good news about these factors is that we have a lot of control over a couple of them. Here are some things everyone can do in the wake of the mental health crisis to make a big difference for the mental health of everyone in our community!

• Share your struggles: being open about challenges decreases stigma.

• Communicate your openness to diversity, difference, and need: many mental health issues stem from being ‘othered’ or feeling isolated and alone.

• Help to normalize that we ALL have mental health: we can have a mental illness diagnosis, or not, however, mental wellness is not contingent on this: i.e., just because I have anxiety, doesn’t mean I am ill. There is much I can do to maintain wellness despite a diagnosis.

• Use therapeutic strategies at home, in schools, at work, and in the community: this is a key piece, as we can get caught in the myth that therapy only happens in the therapist’s office. Therapeutic connections can happen in brief moments all throughout the day. Renowned trauma expert, Dr. Bruce Perry reminds us that these interactions are called ‘therapeutic dosing’ and they happen all day long if we make space for them.

To learn more daily, you can follow Dr. Judy on Instagram @drjudyjaunzemsfernuk.

Family Day Free Fishing Weekend Returns, February 18-20

February 18-20 is Free Fishing Weekend in Saskatchewan - the perfect opportunity to give ice fishing a try, without having to purchase a fishing licence.

"We have world class fishing in Saskatchewan, and we don't let the cold temperatures prevent us from taking full advantage of it," Environment Minister Dana Skoropad said. "Free fishing weekend is the perfect opportunity to try your hand at one of our province's favourite pastimes."

While a fishing licence won't be required for residents or visitors angling during the Family Day weekend, all other regulations apply. For example:

• Possession limits remain in effect, including reduced limits on certain waterbodies.

• Free fishing weekend only applies to provincial waterbodies outside of national parks.

• Anyone planning on transporting fish outside of the province will require a valid Saskatchewan angling licence.

Safety is key to an enjoyable ice fishing experience. Tell someone where you will be and when you can be expected back. Dress for the weather, as frostbite and hypothermia can happen quickly. Be aware of ice thickness, as water does not freeze uniformly and can be unpredictable - you need at least 10 cm of good ice to walk safely and at least 30 cm of good ice to travel in a light vehicle.

For more information on sport fishing regulations and ice fishing safety, download the Saskatchewan Anglers Guide, or visit saskatchewan.ca/fishing.