By Julie Stone, community volunteer
Volunteer of the Month
The Volunteer of the Month for February is Peter Sawatzky. Since moving to Nackawic with his young family, Peter has become involved with the Library Family Game Night and Family Skate, offering guitar and ukulele lessons.
Peter offers computer support at The Gathering Place (TGP) and is willing to work with others who want to gain computer skills. Thank you, Peter, for supporting TGP, Nackawic, and Area Wellness initiatives. Your volunteerism is appreciated.
Pancakes and Conversation
St. Clements Anglican Church in Dumfries, NB, will host a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at the Church Hall on March 4, 2025. More details, including the menu, time, and price, will be released in March. Suppers like these are great places to meet up with old friends, new faces, and even relatives to share stories and comforts that mean so much to families in small communities. Mark the date on your calendar and make a point to be there.
Slow Cooker Meal
There will be a “Slow Cooker Class” and meal on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m. Bring yourself and your crock pot to the Lions Club and enjoy the comradery and instruction on how to cook a delicious treat for you and your family.
To register with cash, simply put $6 in an envelope, write your name and SLOW COOKER CLASS on the outside, and put it in the box outside the meeting room door at TGP. Or, e-transfer $6 to nackawicareawellness@gmail.com clearly stating “Slow Cooker Class” in the note section.
J-Lynn’s Independent Store
On Monday, a large group of people met at The Gathering Place to honour J-Lynn and John, owner-operators of the Independent Store in Nackawic.
The attendees included folks from Loblaws head office, who were there to film and share with the public that the company chose the couple for an award for their work and service, not in the store, but in the community where they now reside. J-Lynn’s was the only Independent Store in New Brunswick to receive such an honour.
Whenever a cause needs attention in the Nackawic-Millville Rural Community, you can be sure that J-Lynn and John are there and upfront with their support. Sometimes, that support is in fundraising or the provision of food—or whatever way they choose to respond, they can always be counted on to help.
This couple is well deserving of the award. A more formal acknowledgement will be made at Loblaws Annual Working Conference, which will be held in Punta Canta at the end of February. Congratulations to you both. We are very proud of you and glad to have you in our beautiful community.
What is happening to me?
This is the question that Debbie Bragdon asked herself a million times until she was finally diagnosed with a rare disease called Multiple Systems Atrophy (MSA).
MSA causes people to lose coordination and balance or become slow and stiff. It also causes changes in speech and loss of control of other bodily functions. It is related to Parkinson’s disease and is not due to heredity.
Unfortunately for Debbie and the 49 others in New Brunswick who have this disease, MSA is not curable. When first diagnosed, “I was told I had one year to live so I came home and began to live my life in Palliative Care”. She was then told 6 years, then 3, and now does not think about the end so much but rather copes by concentrating on what time she has left.
When Debbie first began to feel unwell, she thought she had vertigo and sought medical support and advice for that condition. But soon, other symptoms started appearing, and consultations and testing with other doctors were needed. Debbie says, “MSA is a fast-moving disease.” After many such consults, it became evident that something was wrong.
MSA caused her cerebellum to shrink and break away from the brain stem. She began to experience headaches, lack of balance, liver disease, speech difficulties, vision problems, digestive problems, shortness of breath, loss of bladder control and a general loss of bodily strength. These difficulties did not happen all at once but began to occur one after the other as the disease progressed.
Debbie and her husband Gary have renovated and adjusted their home to accommodate Debbie’s growing needs. Debbie says that she saved for her retirement and “this is it, so I am spending the money this way.” She can now live on one floor and move freely throughout the space in her walker and wheelchair.
Assistive devices have been installed in their bathroom, and Debbie is able to do a few chores that help Gary, as he is now her care provider. She cannot get to the laundry room but can fold the clothes when ready. She does a few dishes and other simple activities that make her feel she contributes. In the summer, she bought an electric scooter and could drive around the property. She even took it on the road a couple of times. She says, “I can’t do that anymore as it is now too difficult, but it was really fun”!
Debbie is thankful she could go with the family to Niagara Falls in the summer and was thrilled to fly to Ottawa to attend a Prayer Breakfast with her son Richard. who is Tobique-Mactaquac MP. Debbie says it was great to see him in his official role.
Debbie is very proud of all her beautiful children and knows that someday soon, she will rest beside her son Alex, who died of cancer so very young. Daughter Julie is a Nurse who works for the Anglophone West School District, and daughter Amy is a Real Estate Agent in the surrounding area. Debbie feels blessed to have them all so close by and said they gathered 26 people at her house at Christmas time.
Debbie said that it took five years in all to get the final diagnosis of MSA. She hopes that by sharing her story, others who might have similar symptoms will not give up but will continue to seek help from the medical profession so that the disease is not able to progress as far as hers has.
“It is important to push when you have to.” Debbie confided (with a grin on her face) that she has a Do Not Resuscitate wish listed with her family and is determined that they honour it. “If I have worked this hard to get this far, I do not want anyone trying to hold me back.”
Thank you, Debbie, for sharing your story. It is sure to help a lot of people who might be wondering, ‘what is happening to me?’
