The Camrose BOOSTER, July 7, 2020 – Page 4
Gill runs to fight kidney disease By Murray Green
Zooming on with it
It’s almost a week since Canada Day, but I’m still smiling about one of my highlights of that day. I got to see and speak with four generations of family members from four time zones and three continents. Through the magic of Zoom, we got to hear “Happy Canada Day” (sung to the tune of “Happy Birthday”) by the youngest grandson who lives in Singapore. We got to chat with family members in Brisbane, Australia. (For our Singapore and Brisbane family, it was July 2.) We got to visit with another grandson in New Brunswick. And we had our Alberta folks in Camrose, Calgary, Edgerton and Edmonton. We even had a slide show of photos we’d all sent ahead of time to my sister and her husband who orchestrated all of it. I was feeling so fortunate. It was a treat to see and speak with nieces and nephews I haven’t seen for several years. And I thought how different our lives are, compared to our grandparents. ***
Contrast. In about 1918, my English grandmother travelled across the Atlantic Ocean with her infant son, my dad. She’d married a Canadian soldier during the First World War. He had not yet been released from service, but she was travelling ahead to Canada to await him. From Halifax, she travelled by train across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Edmonton where her mother-in-law lived. Quite a contrast from her tiny British Island home. When she left England, she knew she would never see her father or brothers or sisters again (her mother had died). When she left, she knew she was seeing them for the last time. I remember that when I was a little girl, my grandma would be really happy on the days when she got a letter from her sister Em. The letters would take weeks or even months to arrive, so by the time she read them, the news would be old. And she would write back knowing her letters would take weeks before her sister would see them. I’ve been told that her mother-in-law was not a pleasant person. In fact, her mother-in-law suggested that she should go back to England, but leave the baby behind. When her husband arrived, they moved to a homestead in the Duhamel area, where they were far from the nearest neighbour and could hear the coyotes howling at night. Not exactly like London, England, where my grandmother had been the head of a department in a large store.
Trevor Gill is on the run to create more awareness for kidney disease. He is an Ultra Runner from Vilna, who is participating in a charity Ultra Run from Camrose to Forestburg on July 11. “The run will be 82.5 kilometres in length and is to bring awareness to kidney disease. It has amassed a large following on Facebook and is expected to increase over the next few weeks,” said Trevor. You can view his Facebook page directly under the name Trevor Gill. “The reasoning behind kidney awareness is that I myself am donating a kidney to my father Vern Gill. My father has been dealing with kidney disease over the past four years and through my journey with him and sharing in other people’s experiences, I have realized the general public lacks the awareness of this disease,” shared Trevor, on why he runs. “Even myself, as a critical care nurse, I am not ashamed to say that I did not realize the time it takes for a recipient to be scheduled for surgery even though a living donor has been identified. I am on year three of testing and we still don’t have a surgical date. In the meantime, a virtual clock counts down on the five-year life expectancy of dialysis patients. Imagine yourself watching that clock, not just for days or months, but for years,” he noted. “This is also why the run is occurring from Camrose to Forestburg, as my recipient, my mother, and our extended fam-
ily live there. In fact, my grandfather Owen Saboe was the manager of the Forestburg mine and the mining museum is dedicated to him. It just felt like an appropriate place to put the finish line and it’s always nice to have that little something to make you give that little extra push,” said Trevor. The run is starting from the Camrose Resort Casino at 8 a.m. and will
Trevor Gill
go east on Highway 13 through Ohaton, Bawlf and Daysland. “We then take a turn south down 856 to Forestburg. These towns become important stepping stones as they are also my aid stations where my crew meets me to refuel and I get a chance to record a message to send out on Facebook for those supporting us by following at home.” He invites others to join him along the way. “Walk a kilometre, jog a few, hop on your bike and guide us out of your town, or simply give a honk in support. If they want, they can participate in the entire event stride for stride. I put it out there to
***
I’ve heard the story of someone else’s grandmother who came from Wales. Her husband had come ahead to East Central Alberta near Provost. She followed later with their two small children. She arrived at the train station in Wetaskiwin. He was there to meet her with an ox cart. He’d nailed a chair on the wagon for her to sit. It took two days for them to get to where he’d built a rough cabin on a quarter section. When she told the story to one of her grandchildren, he asked, “What did you do?” She said, “I cried for three days. Then I got on with it.” ***
Here on the prairies, that’s the story of most of our ancestors. They came, in those days mostly from Europe, and they left behind families and friends they would never see again. Many, like my English grandmother, had not lived outside of a city in their lives. They came to a wilderness. They lived on quarter sections of cheap land, far from neighbours. They looked out at a barren landscape and listened to coyotes howling at night. And they got on with it. These are tough times in Alberta. We’re not the first and we won’t be the last. And we’ll get on with it. Possibly helped by Zoom visits with faraway people we cherish. ***
I’d love to hear from you! If you have comments about this column or suggestions for future topics, send a note to Bonnie@BonnieHutchinson.com. I’ll happily reply within one business day.
CANADA DAY Kevin Lang Photos
Residents of Hillside Village in Camrose went to their balconies or to the parking lot entrance to join in a rendition of O Canada to salute the country’s 153rd birthday on July 1. Residents broke out in song as the rain stopped in time for Canada Day festivities.
see what the social media community can garner and so far, I have not been disappointed,” continued Trevor. The event is meant to be finished with no timeline set for finishing. “I’m not shooting for a fast finish, as that’s not the intent, but we would like to cross the finish before midnight. Really, anything under 6 p.m. would be an achievement, but if we walk a kilometre or two with someone willing to participate, that will take precedence. It’s relaxed, the way running should be.” His journey reminds him of an outstanding Canadian. “I am actually a little humbled as it’s the anniversary of Terry Fox’s death and, although I may never achieve what he did, it’s nice to think we can all do our part in our own way,” revealed Trevor. If you wish to donate, go to the Kidney Foundation of Alberta at kidney. ca and press the donate now button.
Gill trains for long runs.
