Employee Stories

By Wayne McIntyre

In 1976, I learned what a moment in time can do and how it can change your life forever.

I was 32 years old, very active, had a great family, and enjoyed what I thought was important in life. In February of that year, I drove to work and went into my office where my secretary offered to make me a cup of tea.  I really don’t remember anything after that moment, because I passed out and woke up 5 days later in a hospital; not knowing who I was, where I was, or even what had happened to me.

I remained in the hospital for six months, followed by 18 months of rehabilitation before I was able to return to a home that was not equipped to support my needs.  I could not use the stairs, bedroom, or other rooms.  At that time, I thought, ‘for sure my working days are over, and now I will need to be taken care of for the rest of my life’.

When I woke up after my operation, I was not able to walk, move my left side, close my eyes, or even talk. I had very little memory, and really did not know the people around me, even my kids and wife. I had to learn how to do most things all over again, and that is what you can call, ”starting your life all over again”. There were many lessons learned, however, the biggest lesson I learned was to ‘live for the moment’, because you really never know what can change. Remember, at the age of 32 I had to learn how to live all over again.  Today, I take great pride that I am a person who can fully look after myself and still help others to reach their goals.  

When people tell me about their stresses, issues or problems, I often return to the time when I was down and out in order to pull out a lesson from my life cycle. It is hard for others to understand when they have never been there, but usually all they need to know is that life and options are in the control of the person, and not the situation.  Your life and direction is in your hands.  

Often stress comes from either not making a decision, procrastinating about making a decision, or making a decision which you do not agree with. The biggest decision in my life was made by my wife.  She made the decision that I should undergo surgery that could give me a chance to live some type of life.  The odds of success for this type of surgery were not very good at the time, and I could have died during the surgery.  In fact, my brother had the same brain tumour, and he only lived six months after the operation.  His surgery was just a few years ago.  Today, I am still making it thirty-four years later. It was not technology that got me where I am today.  Technology helped, but it was a great medical team, a great rehabilitation team, great friends, a family that cared, and most of all me…a person who wanted a second chance to live the best way I could.

What makes me who I am today is happiness.  I am happy to be here today. I love my family, my son and daughter, my grandkids, my friends and extended family, and Algonquin College. "I love life"!

Happiness is something I decide on ahead of time, not whether I like something or not.  It does not depend on how others see things; it is how I see it in my own mind. Once I make a decision it lives with me every morning when I wake up, until I decide to change it.  I had a choice…either I could spend my life in bed recounting my difficulties and let them affect me daily, or get out of bed and be thankful for the many things that have made me who I am today. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I will focus on the new day and all the happy memories I have stored away.

I am getting old, but old age is like a bank account…you withdraw from what you have put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. I am still depositing. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank.

Most people who know me might not really know my background. Most assume that I have always lived a healthy, active lifestyle. This could not be farther from the truth. Would you believe that my parents worried that I wouldn’t make it to age 10?

As an infant I was born with illness and weakness, and twice had close calls due to asthma complications. As a result, my family was advised to prepare as I would not likely live to be very old. I can still remember trying to wheeze quietly in class after a kilometer walk from home or not being able to participate in any activities when I was in elementary school.

With a lot of luck (probably because my poor mother prayed day and night for me), I made it to graduate high school. After becoming an adult I made the decision that I would overcome my weaknesses and my health issues. I changed my eating habits to include healthier choices and really liked some of the pretty pink running shorts so I took up running. My first run (it was more like a jog) lasted about 5 minutes then I ran to a post to throw up.

Today, I’ve completed two full marathons, two half marathons, and numerous smaller runs. I am amazed with how far I have come with my health and strength. Currently I participate in kickboxing three times per week, stretching and core strength building twice per week and maintain my healthy eating habits.

I feel very blessed to have a chance to live so I appreciate everyday that I get to walk up. I feel that if it wasn’t for my illness, I wouldn’t make the changes on my own. So in many ways, the weakness I was born with is a blessing after all.

In the summer of 2008, I came to the harsh reality that I could no longer blame the dry cleaner for shrinking my suits and shirt collars. Real self met self-image.

Since 2006, I had been unable to do any reasonable exercise due to a wonky right knee and a torn quadriceps on my left. In addition to the pressures and stressors of moving across the country and settling my family in Ottawa, the excuse of not eating dessert as a weight control had not worked.

I enrolled in a weight management program (needing that type of discipline) and over the course of the next 12 months, managed to lose about 50 pounds. With a tensor bandage on my left knee and arthroscopic surgery on the right, I enrolled in Fitness Zone and reconnected with the good feelings of regular exercise.

My weekly goal is to do a ½ hour of cardio 5 times a week between the Fitness Zone and my trusty home elliptical trainer. I make it at least 3 times a week most weeks and am very proud of myself when I achieve the 5 times threshold.

Now the challenge is maintaining the weight loss and continuing to exercise. The incentive – every suit and pair of pants I brought from BC was deposited in a Goodwill box and even with a loss of 50 pounds, the naked option is not appealing!

I recently asked a group of staff and faculty to raise their hands if they believed that life would slow down in the coming years. The only response I received was a few quiet laughs and many rolling eyes.

I think most people believe our hectic pace will continue and that most of us also worry, from time to time, about what this reality is doing to our lives, our families, our efficacy at work and the overall health of our community. The irony in this dilemma is that most of us also understand what needs to be done to put balance back into our lives; we know that a more healthy lifestyle can help counter the stresses of our busy 21st century lives and can increase our overall level of personal and life satisfaction.

So the question is not, ‘Do we know what has to be done to create a more healthy lifestyle’, but rather ‘What are we prepared to do to enhance wellness in ourselves and in our College community’? It is certainly a question many others are better qualified to answer than I. Nevertheless, my story is actually a simple one. One that is grounded in a simple decision I made last winter to commit to a medium-term, achievable goal.

So with that introduction, I was asked to share my perspective to enhancing wellness, and I do so from the east coast of Mexico where I am currently on annual leave.

Last January, I set a goal to spend 12 days climbing the eastern mountains of this beautiful country. A commitment to eat and drink less while training more was made easier by establishing a realistic time line and measurable goals that were understood and supported by my family.

Although I feel somewhat inadequate in writing an article about wellness, my best advice to Algonquin staff and faculty who want to create a more healthy, balanced life is to look out 6-12 months, establish a stretch goal, something you would love to achieve, create milestones along the path to keep you on track and finally, commit to achieving your goal by sharing it with someone who can support you and push you along the way.

Enjoy Wellness Weak and good luck!

For the past 10 years that I have worked at Algonquin College, I have always strived to excel in my work. I have been a support staff member, a teacher, and presently I’m an Academic Coach in the Student Support Lab. I have always relied on the great talents of others to improve my skills and perform my job to the absolute best of my ability. My success is measured by the success of the students that I help.

In my personal life, I’ve not been as successful. I’m a yo-yo dieter and have been for over 30 years. It’s easy for me to lose weight; the real challenge is to keep it off.
About 2 years ago, my husband and I both decided to get a grip on our diet and lifestyle. We love great food, and we ate at restaurants frequently, but it was taking its toll on our health. We chose to follow a program that focuses on the Glycemic Index (GI). After being on so many fad diets that focus on either low carbs or low calorie deprivation, this was a plan that would work. We ate great food, all foods, in proper portions, and we began losing weight. It was a slow loss, only a pound or two a week, but neither one of us feels like we are dieting, and we actually lost the cravings for starch and sugar!

This past summer, we decided that we needed to get more active as well. Personally, I have never been into physical activity outside of walking. I don’t like bike riding, and I’m terrible at team sports. The gym was the only answer. I’ve never wanted to go and hang out in a place full of people who are already fit and trim, but I needed to do it for me!

The staff at the Fitness Zone were amazing. We were given an orientation on how a lot of the equipment worked and everyone is always very friendly and non judgmental. I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed my time in the gym, another surprise. We even started coming in on weekends, and that was when I saw the “Shape up Challenge”!

The Fitness Zone was looking for 2 people to compete in the challenge. You needed to be committed to going to the gym and they would provide a personal trainer for the 11 weeks of the competition. I applied immediately. From all the applicants, they narrowed it down to 5 people to interview. I was so excited when I went for the interview. I told them they wouldn’t find anyone more committed to succeed than I am. A week later I received the email. I was in!!

Although the challenge has only just begun, I feel like I’m already a winner. Having Megan as my personal trainer has proven invaluable. I can’t even describe how different it all is. I have learned how to work my muscles effectively. I’ve learned how to warm up and stretch and work on upper body one day, and lower body the next. Most importantly, when I think I’ve done enough, Megan offers up her encouragement and pushes me to go further. Prior to meeting Megan I was going to the gym regularly, but I was not being effective. I’m being empowered with the knowledge to carry on this way for the rest of my life.

Both of my parents had Diabetes and I was concerned about my increase in weight being a factor. I felt tired all of the time and just did not feel well. My goal was to get to a healthy weight and to feel good about myself again.

I went to my first Weight Watcher’s class and it was nice to meet new people but to also see other people that I knew. I found it easy to follow the program because the facilitator discussed ways that helped me understand which foods were good for me. I started to lose weight a little bit at a time and was really encouraged by my results. It took me six months to reach my healthy weight and have maintained it to this day.

Just being able to have discussions with other members, support each other and to have a good laugh was part of my success. I have attained my goal and try to maintain the weight that I currently have. I was ready to lose the weight and going to class was also part of my success. The best part is that I get to shop for new clothes. LOL! (laugh out loud).

We started playing in the fall of 2003 or 2004??? I can’t remember for sure — too many balls to the head I guess…. Following the 2003 (or 2004) United Way Volleyball tournament, we had so much fun that we agreed someone should set up a lunch time game — and that person ended up being me.

We wanted this to be a ‘drop in’ game so, by word of mouth and by posting it on MyAlgonquin, we were able to recruit players. Some of them have been there from the beginning. Some can’t make it this term because of class schedules. Others come and go.

The lunchtime volleyball game is a great way to get in shape, meet new people from other areas of the College that you may have otherwise not met, or simply to renew acquaintances. Because players come from all sorts of backgrounds and skill levels, it’s always great fun.

Staff have been meeting on Fridays at lunch for years to play Badminton. I’ve been told that this is ‘drop in’ as well. Cheryl Mac Ewen in the Gymnasium can give you more information about the badminton games.

In September 2002 while undergoing minor day surgery the heart monitor alarm sounded. This unexpected emergency with my husband brought about such a change. Upon returning home from his overnight hospital stay we made the decision that it was time to make a change in our lifestyle. Our first decision was to throw the deep fryer in the garbage. We then went through our cupboards and fridge and eliminated our “fast food” type foods, including white pasta, white flour and white bread. Breakfast was a meal we would both skip and this has also changed. We start our day a little earlier to make time for this important meal in our day. These few simple changes caused me to lose 40 lbs. by November 2002.

After stress testing showed that there must have been a faulty lead on the heart monitor and my husband Chris was heart healthy it was a huge sigh of relief. Now it was too late to turn back, we were enjoying our new eating habits and I was certainly not missing my lost weight.

Spring of 2003 brought about more changes when a work colleague convinced me to try the aerobics class and then later the Fitness Zone. This was the beginning of my love/hate relationship with the treadmill. Since that time I have participated in a few 5km runs and then was “pressured” by the same colleague to try the Ottawa Nordion 10km. Three 10km runs later and I am still running.

Having now lost 215 lbs I have learned portion control, aerobic exercise and even weight training. This new lifestyle change comes for me with a daily struggle, but in the end I know it is worth all the pain and discomfort.

On May 3, 2009 I ran my first 1/2 marathon in Trieste, Italy. This new challenge tested my training abilities and pushed me to new limits, but the feeling of crossing that finish line after 21.1km was like nothing else I have experienced.

I have now registered for another event with The Arthritis Society. This new journey will take me to Athens, Greece. My Mom, niece and numerous friends suffer from this debilitating disease. The Arthritis Society’s Joints In Motion is a great cause and I am proud to be part of this endeavour. To date I have raised $890 of my $6,800 goal and my personal deadline is March 31 to finish my fundraising.

If you wish to support me on my journey please feel free to contact me at bedork@algonquincollege.com. Together, we can help out the 4.5 million Canadians currently living with arthritis. Or if you prefer, stop by and visit me in Room C226. Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey and for your support.

I am absolutely fascinated by the fact that everything around us is connected in some way.

When I was a little girl, every time I experienced a stressful event, I would go into the woods and spend a few hours walking. In fact, I was meditating without realizing it! And today, I live in the country for that reason: the power of nature!

All of my life experiences led me to discover more and more about nature. I started to study Naturopathy and Homeopathy. Later on, I was lucky to meet Dr Tran, the greatest acupuncturist, who confirmed what I already believed in and taught me some basic things about energy and the magnificent human body. I saw him heal so many people, from those suffering from cancer to multiple sclerosis, all that by using energy. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine has the same basic theories as Feng Shui does. Feng Shui is a metaphysical science where one learns to harness energy and use it to help specific goals in our everyday life.

Feng Shui is much more than the “Secret”: it’s the Secret of the Emperors!

Physical fitness is something that we all know is good for us, however, it is not always easy to ensure that exercise remains a priority in our busy lives. I have always loved walking so I walk every day, both at work and at home, so that at least I get some cardio training benefits. There is no question that it pays off, not only in terms of overall health, but also with increased energy.

After reading a book called “The Healthy CEO”, I went for testing that is available at Carleton University to establish some baseline data and to determine (at my advanced age), what additional training I should be doing . As a result of their recommendations, I added to my walking routine, weight training on alternative days for building strength and muscle mass which according to the fitness experts are essential to ensure better long term health and balance.

I booked myself with one of Algonquin’s fitness trainers and after 5 sessions, he laid out a plan for me which has proven to be just what I needed. It is amazing how one can start slowly and then increase both the amount of weight and the number of repetitions without any residual pain and with the added benefit of really feeling great after each workout. I would encourage anyone who is interested in good health, more energy and just feeling great to get involved in some fitness activity as ultimately, it is one of the few things in our lives which is in our control and will have long term benefits for the future.

A year later …..

As a progress report on my fitness plan, it would seem that even with the best of intentions, one can make mistakes. I was obviously trying too hard with the weights with the result that I tore a tendon and ruptured a bicep which certainly has tempered my original training plan. It also taught me a very important lesson which I must say was stressed by the trainer and that was that one must be very careful (at all ages) to not push one’s body beyond its capability at any moment in time and to pay attention to pain signals as they are the first warning signs of a problem.

The training continues and the wellness benefits far outweigh any of the challenges I have created for myself.