Taking charge of what you can

“It just showed me that people want to be a part of something positive in a world that isn’t always.”

Those are the words spoken by Jean-Paul Courtemanche, a New Sudbury resident who has created a bucket list of sorts to help him remember that “life is worth living.” Northern Life featured Courtemanche’s story earlier this month.

The young man, who lived through “some dark days” when he was younger, dug himself out of a depressed and angry spot and challenged himself with goals that encourage him to embrace life. His list includes taking a hot air balloon ride, eating a crepe on the Eiffel tower, sponsoring a child through World Vision, and meeting his favourite talk show host, Ellen Degeneres.

What’s interesting about Courtemanche’s story is that he did a complete 180 degree flip from reclusive and sorrowful to unabashed and empowered. He started off making a personal choice. Then he had to learn to sell that choice to others, as he began to work through his list of 30 things to do before he’s 30.

When Courtemanche realized that he could not accomplish this list without the help and support of others, he had to do so when he felt most alone. This decision took courage. Not everyone is willing to break away from their own pool of despair to find a solution out in this sometimes unnerving world.

It is an example worth thinking about, especially now, as Northern Life recently concluded a guest column series about Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients. The columns were penned by Dr. Peter Zalan, president of the Sudbury Regional Hospital’s medical staff, who is helping the community gain a better understanding about the nagging issues behind the ALC patients who are misplaced in our health care system.

In his last column (series can be found online at northernlife.ca/news/columns), Zalan noted “we keep hoping that government will find a funding fix that will reduce public health expenditures while leaving patients satisfied with their level of services and out-of-pocket expenses. But we cannot leave it all up to government to find the way. Individuals must share some of the work.”

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci is doing his best as a monetary maven to help fund solutions to the ALC challenge within our community. (See today’s front page story about more provincial funding for home care and nursing beds).

We have community groups heralding different solutions. We have bureaucrats and politicians of all persuasions weighing in on the topic. But what is missing, and what is needed, is a greater understanding of the issue at the grass-roots level.

Zalan recommends people need to advocate for what they believe is important. He creates a wish list of actions that could make a meaningful difference to finding an ALC fix, including: better pay and working conditions for personal support workers, the construction of affordable supportive housing and group homes to care for our elderly and handicapped, a much greater emphasis on physical fitness in school, and a gradual restructuring of our communities to facilitate physical activity in our daily lives.

The ALC issue is, without a doubt, complex and may seem like an insurmountable challenge. It stems from a health care system that is trying to be everything to everyone — a system that is based on caring for people, many of whom still don’t realize that they themselves are the best health care managers they’ll ever have. People need to recognize that what they do, every day, has a profound and lasting outcome on their health.

Zalan’s column reminds us of the powerful message that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Take charge of what you can, to help make a difference. That could mean something as simple as advocating for personal support workers, volunteering your time to help the elderly in our community, shutting down your children’s video games and taking them for a walk, quitting smoking, or eschewing processed food and making a nourishing meal for your family using fresh ingredients.

It’s a mission that starts with one person — one who has enough courage to reach out to others and do “something positive in a world that isn’t always.”

That’s a Christmas gift we all can live with.

Wendy Bird is managing editor of Northern Life. Watch the video about Jean-Paul Courtemanche’s “30 b4 30” list.