Dennis Fjeld

Editor’s note: The following was submitted by Valerie Fjeld regarding her late husband’s struggles with diabetes. She and many others are asking the Government of Alberta’s Alberta Health Services department to offer renal dialysis services at the High Prairie Regional Health Complex. Please consider joining the lobby and offering your support. Mailing addresses are below.
Dennis Fjeld, my husband, had diabetes for several years, and passed away two months after turning 65 on Aug. 16, 2011.

Dennis was on dialysis for the last five months of his life. He had to travel to the Slave Lake Hospital three times a week for his dialysis treatments. The staff at the Slave Lake Hospital was wonderful, kind and very thoughtful, but it would have been so much less stressful if Dennis could have had his treatments at the High Prairie hospital.

Dennis started his first treatments in March 2011 and had the early morning time slot so we had to be in Slave Lake by 7 a.m. We left extra early that first morning because it had snowed all night and the roads were terrible. After a couple of early morning treatments an afternoon time slot became available so Dennis changed to the 1 p.m. time as he was exhausted travelling to the early morning sessions.

Anyone who has a chronic illness and involved in the health care system knows it is an endless journey of treatments, specialist[s] appointments, and lots of travel if you live in a rural area. There is always the need to have a back up plan for travel if things suddenly change.

On May 15, 2011 the Slave Lake fire disaster happened and this drastically affected dialysis sessions in Slave Lake. The Slave Lake hospital was closed and Dennis was told he would have to go to St. Paul for treatments. Dennis did not want to go because he would have to stay in a hotel and would not be at home at all.

Fortunately, there was a change and arrangements were made that Dennis could go to Grande Prairie for treatments.
Dennis was able to stay with family while in Grande Prairie so this kept the costs down. He did miss the daily visits from friends and family that he had when he was at home in High Prairie but at least he has some family around in Grande Prairie, and could travel home on the weekends.

The Slave Lake Hospital was reopened and on June 8, 2011, and Dennis resumed his treatments in Slave Lake. On July 8, 2011 the road to Slave Lake was closed due to flooding just outside of the town boundaries of Slave Lake. Dennis had to miss his dialysis treatment because it was too short of notice to make other arrangements. Arrangements were made for the following day for Dennis to go to Grande Prairie for his treatment. Dennis was able to resume treatments back in Slave Lake the following week.

Dennis was exhausted from all the travel back and forth to Slave Lake. It would have been so much easier and a happier time for Dennis if he could have had his dialysis treatments in High Prairie.

We hoped that High Prairie would soon start dialysis treatments during the five months we travelled back and forth. We had spoken to nurses in High Prairie that would be willing to take the training for dialysis and there was room available in the High Prairie hospital. It never happened and now five years later it still has not happened.

We were not the only ones from the High Prairie area that travelled to Slave Lake for dialysis. At that time one-half of the patients were from the High Prairie or the High Prairie area.

We were very fortunate that we had family and friends who took turns driving Dennis back and forth to Slave Lake three times a week. The travel back and forth was costly.

Dennis was tired from his treatments but still had to endure another hour and quarter of travel back to High Prairie. The treatments sessions were approximately four hours long but with the added travel it ended up being a good portion of a day.

We never had to travel the winter months and that would have been another stressful factor if the weather and roads were bad. There is no reason why High Prairie should not have dialysis treatments in the new hospital.

Since Dennis passed away I know of two High Prairie residents that had to move away from family and friends in order to take dialysis treatments. I also had a relative who needed dialysis treatments but chose to stay in High Prairie and not take treatments. He did not want to travel back and forth to Slave Lake. He passed away within a couple of months and was only in his early fifties. It is truly unfortunate that High Prairie does not have dialysis treatments available at the local hospital.

Want renal dialysis treatment in High Prairie? Clip out this article and please write the following expressing your concern:

Hon. Premier Rachel Notley
Legislature Office
307 Legislature Building, 10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, T5K 2B6

Hon. Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health
Legislature Office
423 Legislature Building, 110800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, T5K 2B6

Hon. Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs
MLA – Lesser Slave Lake
Legislature Office
204 Legislature Building, 10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, T5K 2B6