September 2007
Page 1
Westward Ho
WESTWARD HO
Our destination is the UOAC Conference in Calgary. We were traveling by car so decided to leave on Saturday before, do a bit of sight-seeing and a little visiting. We are Bed & Breakfast people. The first night we stayed at a B & B in Russell, it was a beautiful place. As it turned out Gretta had gone to nursing school at Grace Hospital with our hostess. In the morning she would not take any money. Well that was a great start. The next evening we stayed at a B & B just south of Saskatoon on a hobby farm, another great place. Then it was on to Edmonton and two nights at Gretta’s brother’s place.
Wednesday morning it was on to Calgary. "Yahoo!" We arrived at our hotel to be greeted by the "Manitoba gang" at the hotel entrance. They were just going out for lunch. Being early we had to wait briefly while our room was being prepared. We had nothing but top-notch service during our stay.
That evening our conference hosts opened the "meet & greet" with a great big loud "Yahoo!". We knew we were in Calgary. We made a great effort to attend as many sessions as we could. All were outstanding. There were also some highlights for us.
- The opening ceremony with John Kelemen in uniform carrying the Manitoba flag.
- The keynote address by Dr. Donald Buie on Ostomy Surgery - The Past, Present, and Future.
- The "Cruise" on Thursday evening sponsored by Coloplast with a western style buffet. On entry to the cruise ship Coloplast provided everyone with a white stetson hat.
- The SASO sessions Gretta attended, including a walk-about to Chinatown with a Dim Sum lunch.
- The Renaissance Award Banquet and evening sponsored by ConvaTec.
- The 10th Anniversary Farewell Banquet Saturday evening sponsored by Hollister. This was a formal event with impeccable service and perfectly prepared food.
- The Support Group sessions were all great. There was even a session on Web Site development which Helmut enjoyed very much.
- The Bertha Susan Okum Lectureship by Frances Wright on "Changing Canada: The Famous 5" was captivating. Look on the back of any Canadian fifty dollar bill to find out about the Famous 5.
Perhaps, best of all was the opportunity to meet so many other ostomates from across Canada, United States, and Mexico. Gretta and I had the privilege of eating breakfast one morning with Sra. Ofelia Delgado Puento, President of the Colima, Ostomy Association I.A.P. and her husband from Mexico.
The proudest moments came when it was announced the WOA had won first prize for our October 2006 World Ostomy Day activities, and when the WOA was recognized for it’s faithful support of the Friends of Ostomates worldwide both by our faithful financial support and continuous provision of donated supplies.
Sunday evening, with a last "Yahoo" we rode off into the sunset.
Helmut & Gretta Friesen
Via Inside Out On-line September 2007
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