At the risk of starting a dangerous precedent, I heeded a polite demand to put Linda Curtiss on this month’s cover.
At first I was reluctant. Not because she doesn’t deserve the recognition or wouldn’t add a touch of glamour to the rag — after all, some people liked the Tara Reid cover and Linda’s even more famous... around here. No, I was reluctant because I just wasn’t sure how I could trick Linda into letting me take her picture. I’d like to say it took a couple bottles of cab sauv, but no, she was very accommodating.
She’s "retired" now but there are very few in the community who haven’t at least had the pleasure of having Linda pump some flu vaccine into their arm or have her apply new dressings to a wound. You would just as likely have come across Linda in any number of the other volunteer roles she’s played in the past.
So it was a well-deserved nod when she was nominated for the Awards of Excellence for Sunshine Coast Women. (See story, p. 10) She didn’t win, but as Linda says, "All of the women in that room have done such amazing things. Every single one of us is a winner."
That’s hard to deny but it always seems like it’s a fluke when somebody from our end of the Coast gets recognized "down there." There’s a divide as natural as the Rockies between ourselves and the lower Sunshine Coast and it becomes clear when the awards get handed out. We’re like the indie flick at the Oscars that squeaks in completely on artistic merit but everyone knows won’t win because nobody’s heard of it.
Personally, I like the fact that we’re slightly forgotten up here — it maintains our identity. Let’s face it, we’re the mysterious hinterlands. The colonies.
The sticks. And we prove it every time we look south for acknowledgment. It’s nice for people like Linda to get recognized like this but we shouldn’t have to wait for outside recognition to honour our own.
We should do it ourselves.
Has there ever been any consideration of a bursary donation in the name of Linda Curtiss for those locally who are interested in the pursuit of nursing or EMT/paramedics? I think that would be kudos to her on a yearly basis for her job very well done. It must be said my interest in nursing piqued as I watched her suturing one morning when I attended the clinic. It was then a visit to my house for my daily shot of antibiotic that reaffirmed how compassionate and interesting and professional she was. Your article certainly detailed Linda's passion for ensuring local health care excellence and it is very inspiring to me. I would be willing to give $100/year myself towards the Linda Curtiss bursary of excellence. Anyone else want to celebrate our local lady and match some money in her name?
Cherie Serieska (Cochet)
RN, Emergency and Sexual Assault Team, Calgary Health Region
Posted by: Cherie Serieska | March 03, 2008 at 01:19 PM