ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

Thank-you FSJ! My heart smiles and melts each time I go out. I would like to share some great experiences I have had that explain the benefits of community!  One of the social determinants of health is community. I go out more for social interaction than anything else.  Fort St. John, you do not disappoint. The more I find myself out the more I experience people getting used to the idea that I am a person first and the blindness is something need only be accommodated on occas

Where did 2025 go? As I look back, I am truly celebrating all of the wins much like new parents do with their child’s first few years.  This past year I passed some great milestones that included: *First solo 5 km walk *First solo trip to mall and nail spa *First participation as a speaker  in a panel at a  UBC Conference *First time making all my own travel arrangements. *First solo trip via plane complete with gate changes to connecting flights *Taught a winter solstice kun

The SPARK Women’s conference held in Fort St. John in October is something to be very proud of.  The organizers have truly brought a sustainable world class women’s leadership conference to the north! I was very privileged to be the recipient of a gift of attendance by Sharron Hammond. Sharron is the local Seniors Community Connector. She had a scheduling conflict and graciously gifted her tickets to me! This gift sparked my courage to say yes to the opportunities put before

September is a month of many anniversaries. I would like to start with a message of utmost gratitude to my heart donor and their family. Without their incredible loss and thoughts of care and giving at a most difficult time, I would not be here. It has been the gift of this family that has been the largest driver helping me to get back-up and live my best life! I received my heart transplant on the first day of fall 2022.The beginning of autumn often symbolizes reflection, le

Fall is definitely in the air in the north! Long hot summer days and cool nights bring with them my favourite smells of fall. I do love the four seasons of the Peace region. I feel as if I am already harvesting the bounties of hard work.   I am nearing my third anniversary of vision loss. Let’s be honest, the first eighteen months were dedicated to recovering from the heart transplant surgery. I have navigated a lot of hurdles and learning over the past three years. I am fort

Wow! The dog days of summer have arrived. Where does the time go?   Everyone in the north is all to aware of how many precious weekends there are between May long weekend and Labour Day. My summer has been filled with travel, music festivals, visitors from afar and visits to loved ones that are away. I have focused this column on my experiences adjusting to blindness. I do not place much emphasis on another major challenge I must navigate. As a heart transplant patient, I mus

I have been away on an adventure! Humpback whales, stinky sea lions, eagles and so much more. Last month my partner Robert took me fishing with his old high school friend. We travelled to the north-end of Vancouver Island to Telegraph Cove. Robert and Barnicle Bob have been fishing in the area for over 50 years. Yes, they are old! Barnacle Bob has the sweetest little suite called suiteatthecottageatthecove.com. It was super nice and comfy. I had the best sleeps. Now to the im

NATIONAL ACCESSIBILITY WEEK National Accessibility Week is from May 25th to May 31.  The purpose of the week is to bring awareness of the physical, digital and systematic barriers experienced by Canadians.  I would like to share with you what is important to me and just a  few of the barriers I experience as a blind abled person.  These opinions are my own and do not represent those of other blind individuals. I  would like to access my community in a way that is safe.  I wan

Granny Games I recently had the pleasure of my four-year-old granddaughter visit me from Nanaimo. She is great fun. Did I mention she was four? She had a couple of sleepovers with me. How lucky am I? My good friend and soul sister brought by an Easter care package for her. It had some coloring books and a couple of markers. It also had some healthy snacks and good things like bunny ears. Sounds wonderful! Later that day, the two of us were home alone unsupervised. We had grea

Blind Bowling This week I took advantage of spring break and family! We went bowling one sunny afternoon. I am lucky to say that there are two preteen young men in my life that are wonderful navigators! They are quick to offer an elbow to guide me where I need to go. I am still somewhat of a novelty when active with some of my people. They are not accustomed to being my navigators. I definitely felt all the love as many people offered their help. The parking lot is icy said o

Breath of Fresh Air It is finally the time of year when we can open the windows and clear away the stale air of a long winter.  I  have been listening intently for the song of the robin confirming that spring has arrived. At the time of writing no song yet. Today I  am grateful for the circadian rhythm of the north and its four seasons.  I  feel the heat of the sun on my face and once again have a guide for the cardinal directions to assist my outdoor navigation  As I  dust o

Eighty Characters   I was recently building a social media platform. I was required to include a short biography of eighty characters. I found this quite a difficult task.   Speaking from my experience of such a drastic life change, this has become quite a reflection exercise. In the past, I held my career goals, aspirations, and achievements in extremely high regard. I LOVED my career as a real estate appraiser. The maturity of my profession brought with it my love of mentor

The Good, Bad and Ugly   I am an eternal optimist. The sky is always blue even above the clouds. This does not mean that I deny the bad, I am a realist. Life has given me plenty of fodder or fertilizer in my garden. I came to a point in life in my early thirties when I asked myself what I was going to do about the life I had created. I decided at that point to put away my victimization and act. I decided that life is how I frame it.   I am not going to lie. When I first woke

My second heartversary has come and gone which means I have not seen the light of day for a long time.  Memories and colors have lost their crispness.  I  am adjusting.  The learning curve is steep. I  think it is difficult for my loved ones and friends to adjust.  They want to protect me and keep me safe.  I  end up feeling disempowered and far to reliant on others for help.  I am fiercely independent.  My physical recovery took 22 months.  My stamina is just returning.  The

I DID IT!  Yesterday I took the bus from the hospital home all by myself!  I almost started to cry with so much emotion while on the bus.  It is a good thing I had on my sunglasses.  My heart was filled with such empowerment.    I have built many little skills over the past months.  I set a goal at the beginning of this year to be able to at least travel on affixed route independently.  It began with navigating to the bus stop and back.  I then travelled via bus to the hospit

In those first dark days at the hospital post heart transplant, I promised myself that I would make the best of this borrowed time that I was gifted. I did a lot of dreaming in those early days. Thoughts become things and here we are today, just two years since I lost my sight. One of those dreams have come true. I wanted to write and share my experience. It has been a journey getting here. It was three or four weeks before I was able to have a device. They would not even giv

Accessible Travel   I recently travelled to Prince George. While there I explored the accessibility features in the downtown core. I was very excited to find the tactile street crossing close to the Civic Center.  This made me so happy. I crossed the street several times by myself because I could.  It felt so great to have such independence.    While in Prince George I attended the CNIB Peer Support group. It was wonderful to share time and stories with people experiencing vi

Last time we looked at the white cane and its purpose. Today I will share with you the more practical applications and experiences using the cane as a person with no vision. It is important to remember that each visually impaired person’s experience and ability is unique to them. When approaching these individuals, it is nice to approach by identifying your presence by name or greeting. Sometimes when there is a lot of surrounding noise it is difficult to determine if the con

Edwina Nearhood is a long time Fort St. John resident sharing her vision loss journey. Please remember, every person’s vision loss experience is as unique as they are.   In the months preceding transplant, I lived in a neighbourhood close to St. Paul’s Hospital.  I noticed a number of visually impaired people learning to navigate their world.  I find it ironic that this was on my radar.  There was also a feed of a visually impaired woman that showed up on my social media feed

Hi!  My name is Edwina Nearhood.  You may remember me from my previous column named Life at Ground Zero.  I ended my column with “So Long or Now”.  Who knew it would take me nearly five years to return.  As you know when one leaves home for an extended period, they return changed into a community that has been evolving as well.  I left my home on a healthcare journey.  I needed to be closer to more specialized care while awaiting a heart transplant.  When one has been given t