Vern Cunningham

‘How many more precious people are we going to lose?’

Chris Clegg
South Peace News

Beth Cunningham knows only too well the difficulty of not having renal dialysis services at the High Prairie Hospital.

Her son, Peter Vernon Cunningham, was diagnosed in 1998 and passed away on Sept. 3, 2014 at the young age of 53 years. Like many other families in High Prairie and area, she watched first-hand the devastating effects of the disease.

To make matters worse, she may face the same situation again. Her husband, Norman, is also diabetic.

“We need to get dialysis,” says Beth, adding it is too late for her son but others need the service.
“High Prairie is rated the second highest in Alberta for diabetes patients. These patients are troubled with many complication of this cruel disease including low energy and fatigue. Many face blindness, amputation, and kidney failure among other health problems which can develop as a result of diabetes.”

In the case of her son, the last few months were very difficult.

“The last eight months…once he started going downhill in September 2013,” she says.

Vern was scheduled for surgery in preparation for him to take a dialysis machine home. Still he would have had to go to Edmonton for training.

But if not successful, it meant three trips to Peace River each week for treatment.

“These people face a real challenge before them each day,” says Beth. “A long and grueling trip and a day to travel to an outside centre for the dialysis treatment which takes four hours. Treatments are four hours. Treatment and travel time makes for an 8-10-hour day.”

And if the treatment is in Peace River, they are lucky. Some have to go to Edmonton so the bills increase as hotel rooms and meals are piled on.

Travel may not be so bad in summer but winter presents another issue.

“These patients must go for their treatment regardless of the road and weather conditions,” says Beth.

Currently, Norman, better known as Buzz, does not need treatment, but Beth is fearing the worst.

“It depends on how the disease progresses,” she says.

To go out of town for treatment is not something she is looking forward to. She is 76, Norman is 77.

“The cost of all this traveling which is covered only by the patient or family becomes a real financial struggle for many of the local people. There treatment days are not only exhausting for the patients but for the caregivers as well. Many patients and caregivers alike become burnt out.”

She says if her son needed treatment outside High Prairie, options were very limited and not desirable.

“We could never have coped with this amount of traveling for treatment,” she says.
“In the future, [Norman] may need the dialysis treatment and I cannot imagine how difficult life will be [for us and] as older seniors to make these trips.”

The family often talked with Vern about the potential hardships of treatments outside High Prairie.

“Vern said, ‘I can’t go through with this and I won’t put you through this,’” says Beth.

In fact, Vern’s obituary also alluded to the plight.

“Vern’s family were very devoted to him and respected Vern’s decision to not take medical treatment for his diabetes as he was getting weary of the constant battle with the disease,” his obituary read.

“This is like having a death sentence to the diabetic patients of our area by not providing these services for them at home,” she concludes. “How many more people are going to come to have the need? How many more precious people are we going to lose?

“It is sad to see our loved one’s lives end sooner than need be due to a lack of services in our local hospital.”