Mel Simmonds and her husband Brad had everything they could want – except for good health. “In 2018 I was at my heaviest, well on my way to 450lbs… medication I was on caused weight gain, high blood pressure and very high anxiety levels,” Mel Simmonds said. 

More medication was prescribed but she knew there had to be a better and a more natural way.  

“I decided to do research based on the information my doctor gave me. She said I was unable to process carbs and sugars in the same way as a regular healthy person may do so with this tidbit of information and my handy dandy Google, I stumbled across Ketogenic lifestyle.” She began to learn how to redevelop her family’s fav Newfoundland cultured-based recipes into no added sugar, low carb and low sodium meals. 

“I have been involved in the food industry since high school…and I am a very creative person so it comes very natural to me to be a rock star in the kitchen. When my family started seeing all the delicious foods I was eating they weren’t long to jump on the keto bandwagon and join me on my journey.” She lost 110lbs in a year and didn’t crave a thing. 

“Whatever I wanted I was easily able to transform into a wonderful delicious new keto approved creation.” She kept things as simple as possible, she added.  

Joining the journey

“My aim when starting was to make this as simple and easy as possible because I knew if it was anything but, my mental wellness would not allow me to continue it. When friends and family saw the amazing transformation that was happening, there were lots of questions.”

“My inbox on Facebook was being bombarded with inquiries so I figured the easiest way to do this was to build a Facebook group (Keto Newf). There I could post about my journey, answer questions and give support to my friends and family. To my shock, people from all over the world started jumping in my inbox and asking to join my journey.”

The group grew. “I had spiked some interest in people who wanted to be healthier, just like me,” she said.  

By 2019 she had lost another 220lbs and her family’s total weight loss was nearing 500lbs. “We were doing fantastic and the dish creations now were simply amazing. Not only Newfoundland cultured foods but I was learning  to recreate foods from all over the world.”

Then, in Feb 2020, one of her closest and dearest friends, Roxanne Weinhebour,  also the former owner of Chapman’s Bakery, encouraged her to start selling some of her dishes. “By the time I figured out how I was going to take orders and get it to those local people who needed it, the winter was in full swing and then the pandemic hit. I knew now, more than ever, that I needed to get these health foods out to people as being stuck in the house would make us more unhealthy,” she said.

Spreading the word

She packed up her family, the food and even the family dog and headed out on to the TCH to do safe drop offs along the way from St. John’s to GFW.  “It didn’t take long before the word spread. I had people filling up my inbox saying how much of an inspiration I was to them, and that I was helping to get them through the pandemic. Mission accomplished,” she said. 

But there was more to do, she added, and the Keto Newf brand keeps growing. Another thing growing is the couple’s love of music. 

“Brad Simmonds Country Music  (their Facebook group) has grown in popularity and Brad calls me his Wifager because I am his wife and manager. I am also his song writer, promotions specialist, booking agent, publisher and distributor,” she shared.

Husband Brad is an easy listening  country music performer, Simmonds added, and with two original songs that have been released, their music is being heard all over the world on all major streaming platforms.  –

 “Brad has always been into music since he was five and got his first guitar. Brad and I met in 2012 and I found his musical abilities and fantastic deep-based vocals very exciting and it is one of the things that made me fall in love with him. I moved to his very small rural community of Charlottetown, NL so there were no real opportunity to showcase his talent.” They married in 2015 and began livestreaming their music on Facebook. 

“We had a fan group and streamed virtual concerts. In 2018 I decided to help make his dreams come true and I wrote a letter to Santa. I asked him to help me by surprising Brad with one of the things he wanted the most because I wanted help in making his dream come true.”  

The gift? Recording studio time to help make their dreams come true.. 

Brad and Mel focus on their future while still helping others, sharing their contacts and knowledge with anyone who needs help musically or health-wise. Being a friend to all has become their passion and their mission. 

For more visit  Keto Newf – sites.google.com/view/ketonewf/home. 

The Shed – Powerhouse (sites.google.com/view/theshed-powerhouse/home). 

Brad Simmonds Country Music Artist (sites.google.com/view/bradsimmonds/home)

You know I am privileged to live in a major centre (all things are relative) and to have a family doctor. The corridors of the Health Sciences are familiar to me because I have been there many times with the assorted afflictions that come down upon a man in his mid-seventies. 

I have known the operating room. I have been in emergency. Been to x-ray and all kinds of diagnostic imaging procedures and tests. Spent time in the chapel. I am privileged and it is hard to even imagine not being able to see a doctor. Unfortunately, many people in our province don’t have that same access. 

 Honestly, there is going to be no quick solution to our health care crisis. Is there a crisis? Absolutely!  As most of you know emergency rooms have been forced to temporarily close in several communities recently Why? Because there aren’t doctors to staff them. Everybody knows that but the question is Who is the bad guy? 

Apple pie & motherhood

It is okay for opposition parties or labour groups to say government needs to do more to attract and retain doctors. That is apple pie and motherhood. I can tell you who the bad guy is. It is geography. You must ask the question about how you can get someone to practise medicine in tiny rural communities. Communities by the way that are smaller than they used to be. 

 What are you going to offer a med-school graduate to come here and to Newfoundland and Labrador and set up a practise? Money? That won’t do it. A doctor is going to have money wherever he or she hangs out their shingle. Lifestyle? The doctor shortage is such that all you can offer is incredibly long hours and hard work. Doctors are going to be run off their medical feet.

Now it isn’t easy to write this without offending anyone but if you want me to practise in a community you must ask the question as to why I should move there. I have never been there. And it is not even on the road to any where. My guess is that someone from that community or nearby would be an excellent choice. 

That would be true for Bonavista or Ferryland or Buchans and a whole bunch of places like it. I am from inner city St. John’s so you can take a stab at where I might like to practise.  It is most unfortunate but that is the reality of the situation. Newfoundland, in many sections anyway, is “emptying out” for economic reasons. There is a price attached to that and it is unfortunately the way things are. I wish it wasn’t that way.      

NTV’s Jim Furlong can be reached by emailing: jfurlong@ntv.ca

I am older now and things have changed. I noticed that on the back deck of our home a couple of evenings ago. It was nice and warm, and the sun was dipping below the tree line. 

Not a cloud in the sky. I had a Jameson Whiskey (note the spelling) on the go. Everything should have been wonderful and right with the world because we are back to normal, aren’t we?

Do I feel safe? 

Somewhere in my soul though was the gnawing feeling that everything was not quite right. We have been through much during the past couple of years with COVID and we want things to be the same as before all this started, but I know that saying it does not make it so. 

Two people who are close to me have tested positive for COVID in the last week alone. I myself now have had no less than four vaccinations. Do I feel safe? No, I do not.

Given my advanced years I must be careful and I surely am. Now I know that things are opening again, but I also know that in the decision to go back to normal there are political and economic considerations. There are those considerations in everything in the universe. 

What have I learned in the past couple of years? Well for one thing COVID and the crisis has changed my life fundamentally. For instance, social contact has changed. There are people I have not seen in years, and they have not seen me.

Altered time-line?

There has been a time warp. The normal processes of a life lived have been altered. My contact with other people has absolutely changed. I go to shops and restaurants much less. The floor of my car might provide a clue. There are old take-out boxes and wrappers. Subway, Mickey Dees, The Colonel and all the rest.  

I ran into someone I know well the other day. It was on the street walking.  I had my mask on and my friend had hers on. We did lower the masks to speak. We did still recognize each other.

Do you know what struck me? She had aged. She was older than I remember her. Well of course she was!!!!! By a couple of years. Then came the realization that I guess that I have aged as well. 

My friend sees me as older than I was. I hope she was not too disappointed. Unfortunately, not being out in society is not a free pass for anyone against aging. 

There’s a phrase from the far east that appears appropriate; “The dogs bark and the caravans roll on.” 

NTV’s Jim Furlong can be reached by emailing: jfurlong@ntv.ca

The subject is COVID. There had been a promise to myself to not write about it anymore because people had heard enough from me on most aspects of it. A visit to a local restaurant showed me “everything ain’t been said.”

I cannot tell you about government policy. I can only tell you about me and my personal experiences. Last Tuesday I was in a downtown eatery with a friend of mine. It is the first time I have dined out in two years. I am careful in things like that because I am 75.  If you get a flu when you are that old, it can be fatal. COVID absolutely is not the place to be. 

Easing of restrictions

I do not need to name the restaurant because what they did was not illegal. They were just trying to get by. Now I had forgotten my KN95 mask so as soon as I entered, I asked the greeter if they had a spare mask.

The nice woman said I did not need one. She was rejoicing in the easing of restrictions. She did not know I was looking for a mask because I wanted one not because of the law.  I was escorted to my table and sat with a maskless  friend.

We were distanced from the only two other occupied tables. The lady who escorted us to our table was maskless. The waitress who took and delivered our order was also maskless. I said nothing. 

An early life lesson I learned from working as a waiter in the diner on the Newfie Bullet is that it isn’t prudent to start arguments with those that handle your food. Important information. 

Maskless patrons

Now a quick look at the bar apart from the restaurant that day showed to be five or six people sitting there for a drink or trying their luck at the VLTs. They were all maskless. As a matter of fact, in this restaurant/bar there were NO masks.  

Now I did not come into town on a load of turnips. I understand that in the decision to reopen everything under the sun there is politics involved plus an economic imperative that is quite compelling. 

Everybody cannot just stay home out of it. Money must exchange hands. People must work. So it is that doors swing wide, and toes start tapping again in the restaurant and bar business. Do not mistake that for the COVID crisis being over with. It is not. We are just forced to pretend it is. The number of deaths is up. The number of hospitalizations is up.  

What do I do? There is only one course of action for a seventy-five-year-old. That is prudence. Wear your mask and do not go to maskless places. It is my plan. Good luck with yours. 

NTV’s Jim Furlong can be reached by emailing: jfurlong@ntv.ca

His early artistic endeavours were with watercolour and oil paints and were strongly based in what would be called a realistic style, artist Reilly Fitzgerald of Clarenville began.

“In the late 1990s and early 2000s I did a series of paintings in a collection I called ‘Ghosts from the Past’, which involved painting realistic people from older  photographs in grey tones and adding a more colourful and often more expressionistic background,” he said.

In 2011, following the return of his chronic back pain and arthritis, he left his full-time teaching position and immersed himself into painting.

“I painted a prolific amount of realistic pieces in watercolour, including many portraits such as children and hockey portraits. Most of these were requested gifts for family and commissioned pieces. Then, in 2012, I discovered acrylics and a change in style and attitude followed,” he shared.

‘Change in focus’

The changes happened about the same time he began to experiment with a more colourful and expressionistic style. 

“I also stopped taking commissions as I felt they put added pressure and time constraints to my work. I found painting for myself to be very therapeutic and one of the only things that distracted me from the constant pain I endured. This change in focus can be clearly seen in my work at this time.”

He has continued to develop his own style, strongly influenced by Canadian artists Ted Harrison and Lawren Harris, as well as NL artist David Blackwood. “I continue to incorporate bold colours and outlines in black and more often white lines, and generally paint the scenery, people, history, wildlife, and culture of my home in Clarenville, and then more generally in all of Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said.

His work, which is available through Facebook or through his daughter at Eagle Photo Studio, are compelling and quite stunning. It’s been a difficult journey, he shared openly. “I say my success is more along the lines of not falling into all the rabbit holes,” he laughed.

Born with physical challenges, he’s had to adjust to a life of pain and discomfort from a very young age, he shared. 

“I can have very limited movement and it’s gotten worse. I spent a nice bit of my early years in the Janeway. Finally, in grade five, the teachers and the doctor realized my hand was impeding my ability to write and they sort of switched me over from being right-handed to left-handed. That must have switched my brain too because one side of the brain is more artistic than the other and suddenly I was the artist in the classroom.”

The community of Clarenville, where he settled to teach, has been good to him, he added, not just for inspiration but for friendships as well. 

It’s hard when you have to leave your job due to pain – financially and emotionally – but money was raised and support was offered, he said, and for all of that, he’s grateful. Something else he’s grateful for? That he was able to continue to paint. 

“I think painting is the only thing that I have left from my former life that I can still do. I couldn’t be the father I wanted, I couldn’t be a teacher. I couldn’t play sports, couldn’t coach. Painting is the only thing left that actually gives me relief. I know if I focus on my art, it’s the only thing that can distract me from the pain of my arthritis and my lower back.” 

Joy & Peace

Painting has given him “a unique point of view of the beauty of Newfoundland and the joy that’s around.” What inspires him? “Newfoundland, the things around me, I think I’ve painted all my neighbour’s houses and the scenery around my house more than anything. But I love wildlife too.”
 We ask how long it takes him to do a painting. He paused. “There’s no real answer to that. Some of the paintings take longer than others, and I usually have a few on the go at one time.”

Anything else he’d like to share? Another pause. “Just thank you for showing an interest. I’ve struggled, but my art is my joy and my peace and I hope it brings the same to others.”

For more, visit www.eaglephotostudionl.com or follow Reilly Fitzgerald on Facebook 

Over 15,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are afflicted with lymphedema, with over one million in Canada and 120 million globally.

Incurable and woefully undertreated and underdiagnosed, the Lymphedema Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (LANL) aims to raise awareness of the condition year-round, especially during March, the official Lymphedema Awareness Month worldwide.  

“Lymphedema, once it’s diagnosed, a lot of times it goes undertreated and underdiagnosed and those are really key points in our awareness,” shared Terry Walsh-Oakley, a LANL board member, registered massage therapist and certified aquatic lymphatic therapist. 

“I’m a registered massage therapist and also a certified lymphedema therapist, so it was certainly something that I would have advocated for at some point,” Walsh-Oakley says of her long-time desire to spread lymphedema awareness throughout the province. “I was lucky enough to have such a strong group of women in that circle who were interested in founding the board and the association.”

Lymphedema impacts the entirety of a person’s life, from the loss of function to a limb, to negative body image, an inability to work as normal or a taxing emotional drain. But the support and information offered by LANL to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians go a long way in helping to quell anxieties surrounding the condition. Said Walsh-Oakley: “It’s underdiagnosed and it’s undertreated. Awareness is key.”

No known cure

Lymphedema is a chronic disease caused by a buildup of lymph fluid, with the root cause stemming from a faulty or damaged lymphatic system. 

It can lead to chronic swelling, predominantly of the arms or legs, with primary lymphedema caused by congenital malformation within the lymphatic system, while secondary lymphedema has been linked to damage stemming from surgery, radiation treatment or severe injury, alongside a myriad of other causes. 

Newfoundland and Labrador rank highly amongst obesity and cancer rates nationally, meaning our population is particularly susceptible to the condition. 

And while there’s no known cure for lymphedema, self-care, Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT), the use of compression garments and proper education can help aid in the treatment and overall proper coping of the disease. 

That’s where organizations like LANL come in with a mandate to empower, educate and encourage. 

Impact on life

“Managing is key. I go back to when we talk about trying to get the word out there and the awareness. That’s just so important. We have a support group, we have a website, a Facebook page and information about lymphedema. We’re always trying to raise awareness,” Walsh-Oakley shared. 

“Reach out to us, call us, go to our website, email us. Ask us the questions and continue to ask questions.”

For resources and more information visit lymphnl.com, email lymphedemanl@gmal.com or visit LANL on Facebook at lymphnl or lymphieconnections.

The sea holds many secrets. That comes as no surprise to anyone who has spent any time in Newfoundland or Labrador where fisherman and beachcombers alike have uncovered everything from decaying giant squid to the time a local fisherman hauled up a rare-to-these-waters long-nosed chimaera. 

Terrence and Courtney Howell, owners of Grates Cove Studios in Grates Cove, also now understand that the ocean holds not only mysteries but treasure too. What’s their now unburied treasure? Seaweed!

On the day we met for a chat, the two business owners treated me to an outside claw-foot tub soak in their seaweed bath water. With my face and neck coated in their specially-created seaweed clay mask and the rest of my body soaking in a bounty collected from the sea, this writer experienced their find first hand. The result? A glow that could not be denied. 

Stepping over seaweed

What started these two down such a path began with a passion for challenge and adventure. They met in 2004 while teaching in South Korea and were united almost instantly by a shared desire to explore and sample their way around their home-away-from-home. 

Courtney was born and raised in a small community in Louisiana, USA while Terrence was born and raised in the Grates Cove area. 

The life of adventure that brought this couple to Grates Cove to open Grates Cove Studios involves travel, hurricanes, disaster relief efforts and a shared curiosity and a love of the ocean. 

Now, along with their 13 year-old daughter, Phoenix, the family has stepped into the skin care business by almost literally stepping over seaweed while out for a beach walk. The beginnings of what is now 7 Fathoms Seaweed Skin Care started with Terrence having a curious mind. He picked up the seaweed, played with it a little, then brought some home. His hands – often raw from hard work and creating with wood – began to heal. Courtney then began using it on her skin and, over time, saw “huge improvements.” 

They began creating products for themselves and for friends, but then they met Doctor Robert Helleur, a retired chemistry professor at Memorial University who had spent his career studying seaweed. The three actually met at Grates Cove Studios where the good doctor had popped in for a bite to eat. The three began talking and the wheels started to turn. 

Incredible Journey

“It was that connection and realizing that we had the same sentiments about how to be sustainable – how to not create an extract that is so chemically laden – that got us all thinking and he offered to consult with us,” Courtney shared. That was two years ago, and they’ve made some impressive strides. 

“He’s helping us perfect our extraction process and we now understand we have something unique. We have something that’s very high quality that is not only beneficial for skin care, but beneficial for functional food products and  could very well be beneficial for compound pharmacists. So we’re now on this journey.”

There’s much research happening as they’ve now partnered with Memorial University to study the “precious extract that comes from seaweed.”

“We’re just on this incredible journey and we’re getting to new areas of research  (on seaweed) right here at home,” Terrence added. The excitement builds as they talk. 

“Seaweed is definitely known for all of its benefits, but we’re only now starting to understand more. We’re so used to getting so much of our nutrients and bioactive ingredients from land but because of so many land issues around the world, where research is going now, where development is going, where industry is going, it’s going out into the ocean because the ocean actually holds more beneficial properties than what’s on land,” he continued.

Sea botanicals are about eight times more effective than land botanical extracts, he added. 

The Beach

The research is really just in its infancy stage, Courtney shared, which makes their journey all the more exciting.

“We just happened on the beach that day, it’s not like we discovered seaweed, it’s just, we were there and we were curious. This journey, where we are now, made us realize that the best decision we ever made was moving to Grates Cove,” Terrence said. 

It’s not just the seaweed, they say. “This community is incredible. There are 15 kids here. Our daughter’s best friend lives here. Two of her classmates live here in this tiny little town. She has a great upbringing where she can come harvest seaweed with us. She likes to go. She explores this area. She learned to walk on this land and she has friends to boot and has a great quality of life here,” Courtney shared passionately. 

They get the best of both worlds, they continue. There’s solitude when they need it and then the area is bustling with locals and tourists at times too.  They are in this tiny, little removed town but get to meet all these people and it fills the social side of life that everyone needs.

They love meeting tourists “from wherever” and they enjoy the solitude.  

“We can be busy then we move into winter where it becomes much more isolated and we can be more reflective and learn from this environment and create from it. If we had moved anywhere else, it wouldn’t have happened that way. We wouldn’t have discovered the seaweed, our daughter wouldn’t have the quality of life that she has. I don’t know how we got this lucky,” Courtney shared.

Now, it’s not like they don’t work hard – they certainly do – still, they know how good they have things too.

 “We work hard. It’s all difficult at times, but everyone’s life is. But we also get to be on this journey that is fulfilling to us. I think people may think we’re crazy, but you know what? I love this becoming, if that makes sense. We are just on this journey together in this amazing place and we are becoming what we were meant to be,” she added.

And what does their “becoming” look like? It looks like the art of unpolished living, she said with a smile. 

“The art of unpolished living. That’s it in a nutshell. We try to offer really nice dishes and we try to offer really nice experiences, but we’re always discovering that it’s never, ever going to be polished. There is always going to be an unexpected experience. And I think anyone who knows us, anyone who’s been following us, they accept that about us.”

‘Unexpected Experience’

Like Newfoundland itself, with unpredictable weather, it’s never going to be perfect. “It’s going to be what it’s going to be. The weather’s going to be what it is. We’re raising a child here. There’s always going to be some sort of wildness happening. And for the most part, our customers are very, very open to that.”

And what a relief it is to accept that, she added. Terrence sat looking out at the ocean as his wife finished speaking. He paused, then spoke. 

“What a  relief it is to feel like we don’t have to be perfect because we’re never going to be. We’re always going to be in the middle of some project but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to do our very best to offer you a wonderful, unexpected experience. You’re on the journey with us. Don’t have expectations necessarily, but come expecting to kind of create your own story.”  

Courtney nodded. “I think the pandemic has made people crave what we have. They just want to be, you know? They want to explore, they want to find something that is fulfilling.”

‘Open Your Heart’

After an evening with them – from a seaweed soak to a night’s stay at their vacation home overlooking the seas – I know exactly what they mean. 

From the unique food at Grates Cove Studios to the seaweed bath experience to just experiencing and exploring the community of Grates Cove itself, it’s one special place on the planet. But, they caution, don’t just experience it, participate too. Courtney smiled. 

“You have to participate whole-heartedly or you’re not going to get it. Open your heart, and your mind, and jump right in. I can’t explain it any better than that.”

To experience unpolished living for yourself, or for more info visit www.7fathomsseaweedskincare.ca or gratescovestudios.ca 

Gill Whelan is a firecracker. All genuine smiles and from-the-inside-out enthusiasm, she’s a thrill to chat with. Little wonder then that Whelan’s company, Whelan Wellness, has quite literally exploded since the pandemic, with folks of all ages signing up to engage in an online journey towards wellness with Whelan and team cheer leading the way.

We ask how she’s grown such a following since COVID.  Whelan paused. 

“One of the things that a lot of us learned throughout the initial lockdown in 2020 was, as the world hit pause, everybody took a good look at how they were spending their time, and time is our greatest resource,” she began.

There at the Right Time

People transitioned slowly, sometimes against their will, she added, and began doing some sort of self-care or movement or exercise at home. Whelan was there “at the right time  to offer  structure and guidance,” she continued.

With fitness guidance, mental health sessions, registered dietitian advice and yoga sessions, Whelan helps those at home do it at home.

“There’s no escaping, because it’s right where you are. There’s no making appointments. There’s no worrying about catching COVID. I’m confident that’s why we’ve maintained our client base and grown so much because more and more people are realizing the importance of taking care of yourself and at the same time asking what’s the best, most efficient use of my time to do that.” 

Whelan has been coaching fitness classes for 12 years, but her passion has always been coaching people. “I love the physical push. I love the fitness piece. But to me, there’s always been a piece missing,” she said.

 The fitness piece can be most intimidating, she added. What was often missing was relationship building, she said.

“I’m forming relationships with people and helping them live their best lives. I employed my strategies on myself because if there’s anything here that needs fixing for now, it’s me. I started practicing my four pillars myself, and it’s literally, quite frankly, changed my life.”

It was a turning point.

Finding the Magic

“Previous to that, it was always like I had to go work out because I want to look a certain way, or be a certain size, and then when I started working instead on wellness, I very quickly realized the link between physical movement and mental health. The balancing of all the pieces that makes you feel well, it’s not about what you do in the gym, it’s about how you take care of yourself, how you work on your mental health, how much sleep you get and all of the other pieces.”

And when you do that, when your insides get well, your outside follows and that’s when you really thrive, she added.

The formula, she said, “was like finding the magic.” 

The world needs this right now. People need wellness, she continued. Whelan was on to something and her business grew and expanded across the globe. 

“I  feel very blessed. The impact, it’s intense. What I’m hearing from people is that life feels very defeating. It feels very frustrating. It feels frightening. It feels all of those things. But when we take control of our own wellness, you feel a little more powerful and that’s what is happening in our wellness community.”

Mindset coaching sessions via Zoom help, she said. 

“As we go onto yet another period of unknown with this pandemic there needs to be a calm and people need to feel motivated again and not panicked. Yes, people need exercise, we need to move our bodies, but there’s more. My four pillars are movement, mindset, nutrition and hydration.” 

This anytime, anywhere approach is working. “Regardless of your age, size, gender or location in the world, this works. It’s so flexible. What I aim to do is to remove any barrier that was ever perceived by anybody in feeling healthier, so time zones don’t matter. You don’t need a babysitter. Cost is very low.”

Whelan says she aims to offer something that’s “accessible to absolutely everybody.”  From 18 to 81, all are part of the wellness family, she says.

Start Healthy Habits

“We have all genders and we have absolutely all body types. We scale and tailor the workouts. We have wheelchair users, we have people that are absolutely beginners and we have people who are fitness coaches. But, everybody feels challenged, no matter where you’re at or where you start.” 

Again, it’s not just about the movement. “Every single one of us needs help with our mental health. Every single one of us needs help with our mindset. I’ve been around fitness for a very long time. I’m really passionate about the science and building and designing these workouts so nothing is just slapped together to make you sweat. There’s a real reason for everything that I do here.”

She thrives on variety and has never repeated a workout. There’s live and recorded classes available. 

“I care about each and every exercise,” she said.

With 2022 moving through, we ask if fitness dedication  is sometimes just a New Year’s resolution.  She’s not a fan of such things, she says. 

“I don’t love New Year’s resolutions. It’s because of the rap. It’s because this industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that thrives on people feeling bad about themselves on January 1st, and I won’t do that.”

Instead, she encourages folks to start forming healthy habits, and watch the progression happen. That keeps motivation at an all time high, and keeps everybody excited and engaged. Any overall motivational words she can share, we ask.

‘Self-care is not Selfish’

“Find the best, most efficient system where you can carve time out for you every day. Self-care is not selfish. This is about taking care of yourself. This is about longevity. Let’s feel like our best selves.”

Dig out the best part of you and heal the stuff from the past, she added. “Let’s move forward, continually, move forward. Our eyes are in the front of our head for a reason, so we can move forward. And we can do that from the comfort and safety of our home without a lot of equipment, and without spending a lot of money.”

As a busy mom, wife and business owner, Whelan knows first hand how important it is to be healthy. “You got to find time for you. I’ll be 43 this spring and this is the most consistent I have ever been.” 

Married 16 years and with three boys, they stay active together as a family. “We move our bodies every day in different ways. (Husband) Peter and I did a virtual spin class the other night. The boys play hockey. We’ve got a backyard rink and a little basketball area set up outside too. We are an active family and we really value movement.”

For more on Whelan Wellness, visit whelanwellness.ca or follow on social media

Dr. Sean Connors, Clinical Chief of Cardiac Surgery for Eastern Health, and Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk, the first Inuk cardiac surgeon in Canada, put their heart and soul into their work and into patient care.

“I think people have the tendency to think (that heart issues) are other people’s problems until it become their own,” opened Dr. Connors passionately.

Those waiting for heart surgery will quit smoking and lose weight, he added. “Then a year later, when they feel great … they lose all the good habits we tried to instill,” he continued

Heart disease isn’t often top of mind, for a variety of reasons, he said. 

“We don’t have a billboard on the Parkway, for example, that shows a woman having a heart attack that would raise the profile.” Advocacy, like the fundraising efforts by the Health Care Foundation for example, go a long way. 

“We’re so busy here doing what we do that it’s hard to get out and advocate.  (I’ve heard it said) we’re so busy cutting wood that we have no time to sharpen our ax. We’re just constantly with our head down putting out fires and dealing with patients,” he said.

Anything that helps get the message out goes a long way, he added. 

Ask Dr. Kimmaliardjuk if she has any advice for NLers when it comes to heart health and she  speaks with passion. “People roll their eyes at the doctor when they say you should give up smoking, but truly, since coming out here, that’s been one of the biggest risk factors … So roll your eyes because it’s that old, traditional advice, but absolutely. Try to live a heart healthy lifestyle that includes not smoking. And take ownership and be involved in the management of your own health because that is so empowering for you as a person, as a patient, but also for your physician,” she shared.

But as both Dr Connors and Dr. Kimmaliardjuk, know, sometimes heart conditions just happen. 

‘A Heart Transplant’

Amanda Saunders knows that reality all too well. At 21 years of age, Saunders was told she required a heart transplant. 

“To go from being a busy, normal, university student to hearing that I needed a heart transplant made my world flip upside down,” she admitted. 

Saunders had signs things were not right. She was tired. She was short of breath. She simply wasn’t herself. Saunders had surgery and received a new heart on Jan. 23rd 2019. “The surgeon told my parents the next day that my heart was one of the worst ever seen in his medical career. I was very, very privileged and very grateful to have had access to a transplant,” she shared.

It wasn’t an easy go, but eventually, she began to improve. 

“Soon, I was ready to take on the world with my new heart, and I returned to life as I knew it,” she said.  

As Saunders knows all too well, cardiac disease can impact anyone. A cardiac emergency can cause a big detour in retirement plans or we can be affected in our youth.  Saunders, now 24 years-old, just celebrated her third anniversary since her heart transplant. Her condition “just creeped up on her” she shared, and she admitted she spent the early weeks “in denial.” “I just wanted to continue on and not let my heart ruin things for me or get in the way,” she said.

Quality Cardiac Services

With so many impacted at a variety of life stages, it’s important to have confidence in the care received during that time of need. Having quality cardiac services is crucial, and technology is always changing and donations help improve the care of patients like Saunders. Dr. Connors and Dr. Kimmaliardjuk say, to attract the best and the brightest minds in health care, the local team must have access to the latest tools and technology. 

“Recruitment is our lifeblood. The way we continue to provide excellent care is to attract the best trained physicians and by providing the best equipment and putting it in the hands of those physicians in order to help here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said. 

Dr. Kimmaliardjuk agreed.

“Using devices and instruments and tools helps improve the quality of life and it helps us save people’s lives. To be able to offer the best is what every person deserves,” she said.

Currently, The Health Care Foundation are raising funds for a tool used for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Donations help keep this province’s Cardiac Care Program on the cutting edge, which, in turn, helps save lives.

But while equipment is key, we can’t forget the value of the human side of cardiac care. “Dr. Connors (and team) always holds a special place in my heart, and I can never thank them enough for what they’ve done. Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the highest rates of heart disease in the country and it’s so important to continue to give back to organizations such as the Health Care Foundation because at the end of the day, no one’s going to come out of this unscathed. We are all going to know somebody who is going to avail of cardiac services,” Saunders said.

That’s why the fundraising efforts by organizations like  the Health Care Foundation are so critical, she added. 

“It’s so doctors and nurses and other medical professionals can avail of the best training and get the best equipment and up to date technology and then they get trained on how to help patients and caregivers because the caregivers are just as important as the patients and that’s not often talked about,” she added.

It’s all about caring for the hearts of the people of this province with heart and soul, she said. Saunders graduated from MUN this past spring and returned to earn a second degree through the School of Social Work. “Through medical obstacles and triumphs and challenges and whatever adjectives you want to put out there, I’m now able to live a normal, healthy life that I wouldn’t have otherwise had without quality care. All I can say is thank you.”

If you’d like to help the Health Care Foundation purchase the VirtuoSaph Plus Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting System and support cardiac patients here at home, visit healthcarefoundation.ca

Need for Donations

That doesn’t mean the need for donations have lessened. Access to the best cardiac care and technology has long been critical to the well-being of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians throughout the province. 

In fact, we lead the country in rates of heart disease, with one in three people impacted. While the pandemic has created fundraising challenges, it has also demonstrated how important it is to support the work of our health care heroes, those who keep us safe and well in our moments of medical need.

Throughout February, The Health Care Foundation will continue fundraising and public education efforts to support cardiac care right here at home.

Cardiac disease can impact anyone. It can creep up or be a sudden life or death emergency. A cardiac emergency can cause a big detour in retirement plans or we can be affected in our youth, as Amanda Saunders of Grand Falls-Windsor knows all too well. Saunders, at just 24 years-old, just celebrated her third anniversary since her heart transplant. 

Her condition “just creeped up on her” she shared, and she spent the early weeks “in denial.” “I just wanted to continue on and not let my heart ruin things for me or get in the way. But that didn’t last.”

‘Full-blown Heart Failure’

At 21, she had to withdraw from university from a hospital bed in St. John’s. 

“I was admitted to the Health Sciences in November 2018 after I met with my heart specialist and was told I was in full-blown heart failure.” She required a heart transplant. But Saunders isn’t alone. With so many impacted, it’s important to have confidence in the care received during that time of need. This is where we all come in!

 Having quality cardiac services is crucial, and technology is always changing and donations help improve the care of patients like Saunders and equip local health care professionals with the tools they need to save lives. The Herald spoke to Dr. Sean Connors, Clinical Chief of Cardiac Surgery for Eastern Health, and Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk, the first Inuk cardiac surgeon in Canada, someone Dr. Connors says is an incredible addition to the team. To attract the best and the brightest in health care requires having access to the latest tools and technology, he said. 

The Quality of Life 

“Recruitment is our lifeblood. The way we continue to provide excellent care is to attract the best trained physicians and by providing the best equipment and putting it in the hands of those physicians in order to help here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said. Dr. Kimmaliardjuk agrees. “Using devices and instruments and tools helps improve the quality of life and it helps us save people’s lives. To be able to offer the best is what every person deserves,” she said.

The Health Care Foundation are raising funds for a tool used for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. It makes smaller incisions, resulting in reduced infection rates, pain and scarring. 

Tools like this lead to faster recoveries so cardiac patients can get back to doing the things they love – and return to those they love – sooner. 

Donations will help keep this province’s Cardiac Care Program on the cutting edge, which, in turn, helps save lives

If you’d like to help the Health Care Foundation purchase the VirtuoSaph Plus Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting System and support cardiac patients here at home, visit healthcarefoundation.ca.

Next week, hear more from our conversation with Dr. Connors and Dr. Kimmaliardjuk, plus find our more about Amanda Saunders and her inspirational story.