Recent Articles:
Below are past articles previously published in Drugs & Addiction Magazine. These are filled with current and relevant information and statistics and can be used as great conversation starters with youth.
It’s Bell Let’s Talk Day!
January 30, 2019Former Insys CEO pleads guilty to opioid kickback scheme
January 17, 2019Resolve to Detox Your Social Circle
January 16, 2019Easing test anxiety boosts low-income students’ biology grades
January 15, 2019Craving insight into addiction
January 14, 2019People with low self-esteem tend to seek support in ways that backfire, study finds
January 10, 2019Ban on cigarette sales in NYC pharmacies starts Jan. 1
January 9, 2019Too many problems? Maybe coping isn’t the answer
January 8, 2019Half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14
January 3, 2019Sexting Teens
December 19, 2018Screen Addiction: Today’s Biggest Threat to Schooling?
December 19, 2018Texting Etiquette & Safety: 5 Rules for Keeping Your Kids & Teens Secure & Drama-Free
December 17, 2018Amnesty International: Indigenous Peoples’ rights
December 17, 2018New Canadians sworn in as Winnipeg museum celebrates International Human Rights Day
December 13, 2018Statement by the Prime Minister on Human Rights Day
December 12, 2018Fentanyl is the deadliest drug in America, CDC confirms
December 12, 2018The Illustrated Version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
December 11, 2018Homeless man with terminal cancer donates to holiday toy drive
December 10, 2018Boy gets Colorado town to overturn snowball fight ban
December 6, 2018Fortnite addiction is forcing kids into video game rehab
December 5, 2018Clarity on Cannabis
December 4, 2018Mental health education recommended for RCMP members following inquest
November 30, 2018Social Media – 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence
November 28, 2018Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence
November 27, 2018#GIVINGTUESDAY TODAY ONLY YOUR GIFT CAN BE MATCHED
November 27, 2018The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence
November 26, 2018#ENDViolence in schools
November 23, 2018Statement by Minister MacLeod on National Child Day
November 22, 2018November 20th marks National Children’s Day across Canada
November 21, 2018National Child Day
November 20, 2018Facts & Figures
November 16, 2018The Push For Change®
November 15, 2018Winter Giving 101
November 14, 2018First came the stroke, then the inspiration…
November 13, 2018Canadian Youth Speakers Bureau: Scott Hammell
November 9, 2018John Connors’ brilliant IFTA Award speech
November 9, 2018Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone
November 8, 2018This teen pizzeria employee traveled 3 hours to deliver pizza to a man with terminal cancer
November 6, 2018Video captures joyful law student’s reaction to passing her bar exam
November 5, 2018MADD Canada launches annual red ribbon campaign in Halifax
November 2, 2018Nova Scotia’s Health Department says talks underway for province’s first overdose prevention site
October 31, 2018Crystal meth eclipsing opioids on the Prairies: ‘There’s no lack of meth on the street’
October 29, 2018Opioids Don’t Discriminate: An Interactive Experience.
October 26, 2018Guelph police warn drug users of spike in purple fentanyl
October 25, 2018What exactly are you inhaling when you vape?
October 23, 2018Study ADHD Medication Overdoses
June 14, 2018A Cry for Guidance
January 18, 2018Your Friend’s Substance Abuse
September 15, 2017Depression
September 15, 2017Methamphetamines
September 15, 2017Alcohol
September 15, 201725 Healthy Ways to Feel Better
September 15, 2017First came the stroke, then the inspiration…
November 13, 2018Kelsie pays it forward with gift bags of comfort items for hospital patients
Story & Photo by Blain Fairbairn
CALGARY — When a headache and vertigo suddenly struck Kelsie Snow during a workout at the gym last March, the notion she might be having a stroke was the farthest thing from her mind.
Young, healthy and having never experienced symptoms, Kelsie was surprised to learn she’d suffered a moderate ischemic stroke, after physicians at Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) found a 4 cm tear in her vertebral artery.
After a six-day recovery on the hospital’s stroke unit, the 35-year-old was discharged and has since made a full recovery. Despite an otherwise traumatic and frightening experience, Kelsie emerged determined to make the most of it — by doing something to help other stroke patients feel a little more comfortable in hospital.
“I started to think about things I might have needed, or wished I had, when I was in hospital and how that might help somebody else,” says Kelsie.
Her stay in hospital motivated her to donate 115 curated personal care pouches, all beautifully packaged in designer toiletry bags. Inside each pouch are all the items Kelsie wished she had as a patient: a sleeping mask, ear plugs, mints, hand sanitizer, face cleansing pads and more.
“Nobody’s ready to pack that bag when they’ve just had a stroke,” she says. “My husband was at work when I was taken to the hospital. He did his best to bring me what he thought was important, but I had no real concept of what I would want or need.”
Kelsie reached out to family and friends across North America with her idea, in hopes of raising enough money for about 50 pouches. To her delight and astonishment, the final tally allowed her to put together 115 pouches.
Samantha Arnott, FMC’s stroke-unit manager, says Kelsie’s creative act of kindness will go a long way to brighten up the days of patients.
“We’ve never had anything like this donated to the unit before, so it’s really exciting,” says Arnott. “Hospitals are busy places and I think this will mean a lot to our patients. To know that someone is thinking about us and our patients is just so nice to see. We really appreciate what Kelsie’s done.”
For Kelsie, who keeps a positive and grateful mindset, her stroke wasn’t so much a setback as an opportunity to pay forward the support her network and care team gave her while she recovered.
“Someone asked me if I felt sad or depressed after my stroke and I really had the opposite experience,” adds the mother of two. “One of the things these packages did for me was remind me of how much support and caring I received.
“I hope that patients here will feel the same way and know that someone’s thinking about them, that someone knows what they’re going through, and that someone is aware of the little things that could make their stay a little easier.”
www.albertahealthservices.ca