Filed under: unpaid work — apostrophesuz @ 4:14 pm
Bloorview Kids Rehab has a gorgeous blog and magazine named Bloom. Back in July, they interviewed me for a post called At a dark time, bringing light about Edmonton Down Syndrome Society’s Visiting Parents Program, which I co-coordinate. Pictured is Aaron and I, on the beach in Kaua’i. (I wish I was in Kaua’i right now).
I love this program. Peer support is something very near and dear to my heart. Associated with this program, we have the opportunity to speak to Perinatologists and Pediatricians about disclosing diagnosis – sharing an unexpected diagnosis with a family. This is kind of a big deal to me too, if you check out this Globe link.
I was thrilled when my abstract for speaking at the World Down Syndrome Congress was accepted earlier this year. So in mid-August, my husband and I packed up our youngest son, age 6, and travelled to Ireland for the Congress and a subsequent two weeks in Dublin and County Cork.
I’ve chronicled many of our adventures which revolved around food, on Foodie Suz. I also had time to read an entire book (a rarity that I carve out for myself on holidays). This time it was Lori Lansen’s A Wife’s Tale. Lest you think it is like the Canadian version of The Biggest Loser, it is certainly not. A Wife’s Tale is an engaging and compassionate read.It is a lovely book of transformation and post-divorce.
After my first marriage ended, I, too travelled far away – for me, it was to Norway with my two kids. This is a common experience, I think – women searching for home in strange places. Eat, Love, Pray is like that too. Although both those protagonists weren’t travelling with two children under the age of seven. I clearly wasn’t thinking straight.
Take a look at Lori Lansen’s bio page. It is the best bio I have ever read – very warm and personable, and illustrates that our lives really are built around babies and where we live. She provides inspiration for those of us who say about writing: I can’t. I can’t find the time. Lori Lansen just sits down and writes. Because that’s what writers do.
So sometimes I write and I don’t get paid for it. But that’s ok, because I do that for organizations I volunteer for. Like the Canadian Family Advisory Network (CFAN). Of which I happen to be chair.
I wrote a piece for London Health Science Centre in Ontario about a family who frequents their Cystic Fibrosis Clinic and have two delightful little girls with CF. We are trying to celebrate family centred care initiatives in Canada. To learn more about family centred care, visit the Institute for Family Centered Care website.
Here’s the link to the London article, off our CFAN website. If you click around the site, you will find all sorts of information about what’s happening at health facililites here in Canada to include a family voice in the care of their children. Of which I feel pretty passionately about…
I wrote an article called Hushed Drama – life in the OR, about LPNs in the Operating Room, for the CLPNA’s Care magazine in the spring. It was just published, and I’m really happy with it. It was a collaborative effort with five different interviews and an extensive photo shoot.
My favourite kind of work is profiling folks who work in health care. There are a lot of unsung heroes out there – not used to the spotlight, but passionate about their work. And they are doing good, important work.
The photo shown above was chosen as the cover shot. (It appears as a mirror image on the magazine). That’s a first for me.
I wrote two articles in the Spring issue of the College of Licensed Practical Nurses Care Magazine. One was the feature on LPNs in pre-hospital practice called (cleverly) Care in the Air, where I learned about the exciting world of emergency care.
The other piece is one of my favourite articles I have ever written. I wrote a short bit about a woman named Emma, who is 102 years old and lives in an assisted living facility. I had a great amount of reverence when I walked into her room with my notepad and my camera, and learned that people’s seemingly ordinary lives are always extraordinary when tempered with love.
I’ve been doing a lot of corporate work lately, which means it doesn’t pop up in my portfolio because I don’t actually own the words.
I’ve been writing a lot on my food blog, which is fun. I have regular commenters – many of whom have their own food blogs in Edmonton. I just returned from a Food Chick Weekend in Seattle with my daughter Ella, who is 12, and I documented our adventures in food here.
We were blessed with some rare sunny days, which made for fabulous picture taking. But my favourite time? Our pit stops in our hotel room, where both Ella and I read books. Ella finished Scat by Carl Hiaasen and I consumed A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, which is a lovely read about food and love.
Here’s my favourite photo of our trip – Ella reading. She’s my girl…
From Jay Smooth, host of a New York City hip hop show. Now, I might not be American, but the story of Obama has captured my heart and my imagination. All the lessons learned by Americans can be transferred elsewhere. The influence of Obama has a wide-reaching net.
I ghost-wrote an editorial for a magazine that drew upon my experiences campaigning for Obama in North Virginia. The piece that I use every single day is: let’s make decisions based on hope, not fear. This is a powerful concept.
And I think Obama cranks the standard up for our Canadian politicians, don’t you?
