Spring 2019 Update

August 1, 2019

Hello LAM Members:

The snow has melted. The grass is beginning to show a hint of green. Boots, jackets and mitts are a memory. We dare to hope that spring is here!

We wanted to highlight a few exciting things that have taken place in the last month.

For March 6, 2019 – Lymphedema Awareness Day, the board and a few guest were invited to sit in the gallery at the legislature for the reading of a private member’s statement made proclaiming Lymphedema Awareness Day by Wayne Ewasko, Lac du Bonnet MLA. We are grateful that since the passing of bill 209 in 2014, we have been invited each year.

For the first time ever, this year, prior to the reading in the house, we were invited to present on lymphedema to the conservative caucus. Susan Stratford and Linda Menzies presented on behalf of the board. In addition to the presentation outlining the condition, the needs of those with lymphedema and the next steps to improve coverage, this was an opportunity for us to use one of our videos from the Winnipeg Foundation-funded video project. We are pleased to share with you that it was very well received with the members bursting into spontaneous applause at the end.

Fittingly, corresponding with Lymphedema Awareness Day and at the invitation of Mr. Ewasko, our petition was presented. Please see the attached letter for the response from our minister of health. Please note that until we have had some concrete success in identifying coverage improvements, the petition remains open so don,t hesitate to sign if you haven’t already. We are hopeful some momentum is starting to build, so the time is right to show our strength and add to the signatures already there!

On March 9th along with Terry MacLeod we hosted “Our Big Chat” breakfast to celebrate Lymphedema Awareness Day and to officially launch our videos, thanks to the Winnipeg foundation grant, that were developed to share our stories. It was a great success! You will be able to read all about it in the upcoming issue of Pathways.

Enjoy your spring,

LAM Board