Squamish Climbers/Healthcare Workers Talk Daily Life

The Squamish climbing gym Ground Up has done a number of interviews with local climbers who work in healthcare. Below are interviews with Mandy Wong, Hailey Van, Vikki Weldon, Melissa Smart, Mandoline Masse-Clark and Michelle LeBlanc.

Weldon, one of Canada’s top climbers, said her day looks like this: “Go to work, wash hands, change into scrubs and put on mask and safety glasses, wash hands, learn about another new policy change, wash hands, prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and wash those hands!”

Be sure to follow Ground Up and all of these amazing climbers to show your support.

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This next series of features is the same, but different. It focuses on the climbers who are currently projecting our community's health. They are our local heroes and they deserve to be celebrated! It's also a welcomed reminder of the important role we play by staying home and who we're supporting by doing so. First local hero and Ground Up Member is Mandy Wong! @mandible120 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡? The lifestyle….and all the rocks. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? ER Nurse 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝? I remember watching TV when I was a kid (growing up in the 80s/90s), a lot of news and hype about AIDS/HIV, and I remember how sad I felt for the kids that looked so sick on TV. I decided around that time that I wanted to be a Doctor when I grew up so that I could fix people. Highschool rolled along and I realized that I could do just as much for people as a nurse – without going through 10 more years of school! 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲? I love walking around town and seeing familiar faces, voices that genuinely care about me and my family; I also love that most of us moved here to be closer to nature, we share the desire to be in the mountains, to move our bodies, to feel healthy, and to be happy and present in our world. 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬? To be honest, our days have become eerily quiet as we have done countless things to decant the ER so that patients don't stay in the department for any prolonged period of time. Once we have restructured the department, we have been doing a lot of preparing, practicing, anticipating, and getting used to new ways of doing things. We do team simulations almost every day of scenarios where we receive an extremely ill patient – what drugs to give, who stays in the room, we practice with precision on how to put on and take off PPE.. (cont'd in comments)

A post shared by Ground Up Climbing Centre (@climbgroundup) on Apr 16, 2020 at 10:47am PDT

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We've got a lot of love for our community members who work in healthcare. Thank you all, for all that you do! The next healthcare worker and climber we're featuring is Hailey Van Dyk!@haileyvandyk . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡? All the sports and these beautiful mountains!! . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? I am an ER Nurse at our lovely Squamish hospital. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝? I love helping people and being there through their vulnerable moments. The pace of the ER is perfect for my high energy and I love making a difference. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲? The connection I feel with this community is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I love it here so much. . 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬? There is a lot of uncertainty and a lot of unknowns. I think that is the most draining part of all of this… we get updates everyday. But our team is amazing and we’ve really come together in a way we hadn’t before and it’s a beautiful thing to see. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? Getting outside as much as I can. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲? This too shall pass…. a big one to get through this time!

A post shared by Ground Up Climbing Centre (@climbgroundup) on Apr 18, 2020 at 9:20am PDT

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Next local healthcare worker and Ground Up member is Michelle LeBlanc! 🙂 Thank you Michelle! . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡? Grad school at Simon Fraser University (just got to stay in Squamish because I had amazing friends). . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? Activity Worker / Recreation at Hilltop House . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝? Ultimately, it came down to a combination of life, work and education experiences. The older adults that I currently work with have such awesome stories and insights to share with me, which makes me feel extremely lucky! It is an honour for me to hear about the residents' life stories, share a laugh with them, and learn about how they have contributed to this community, especially some of our First Nation residents. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲? I really enjoy the sense of adventure and camaraderie that happens naturally in Squamish. People seem to look out after each other and that is not always easy to find! There are some rad people who live here that have really inspired me in my life & adventure pursuits. . 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬? From the beginning of this crisis our main goal has been to maintain a positive quality of life for the residents.We have had to adapt the way we do activities to help keep the 86 residents engaged at Hilltop House. A typical day would include a mobile coffee cart with soul, funk & disco music blasting through the hallways on my mini speaker. We have been connecting family members with their loved ones through Facetime, Skype or Zoom. We also do lots of mobile trivia games, dance parties, small group exercises in our courtyards, mobile happy hour and mini sing-alongs. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? Trail running has been an amazing stress relief strategy for me. I am doing the @caprarunning April challenge (thanks Mike!), but…(cont'd in comments)

A post shared by Ground Up Climbing Centre (@climbgroundup) on Apr 20, 2020 at 12:52pm PDT

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Next local healthcare hero and climber, Mandoline Masse-Clark 🙂 Here are her answers: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡? Climbing!!! . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? I’m a registered nurse at Lions Gate emergency dept :). My main role currently is charge. It’s in the ER. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝? There were many reasons, but ultimately I was interested in the field, and attracted to the schedule! It was a bit of a risk but turned out to be a perfect fit. I love my job! . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲? Just that-the community!! I feel so at home and supported here; from climbing to motherhood, this community has supported me throughout! . 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬? Honestly, these are the quietest and yet most stressful shifts of my career. Numbers are low, but risk is high, and we just don’t know enough about Covid-19 to be 100% confident that things won’t change, including how we keep ourselves safe at work. That’s really stressful. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? I am trying to do one hour of exercise a day. A run, some sort of home workout, yoga… whatever calls to me, but I force it even if I don’t want to. That, and I eat more chocolate! Haha! Honestly though, at least I have my work family to debrief with, in some ways, that has been such a lifesaver. I feel for people who can’t see anyone face to face at all. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲? It’s cheesy but someone posted a quote that says “Today the devil whispered in my ear: “your not strong enough to withstand the storm” And I whispered “6 feet back mother*$#&er”. Whenever I get scared, I whisper to myself “6 feet back mother*$&#er”. It actually helps!

A post shared by Ground Up Climbing Centre (@climbgroundup) on Apr 22, 2020 at 9:50am PDT

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Hope everyone had a good weekend! We have a couple more healthcare workers in our climbing community who have allowed us to feature them. Next is Vikki Weldon. Thank you, Vikki! 🙂 . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡? The ideal of small town living and accessible world class rock climbing wrapped up in a perfect package. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? I am a registered nurse at Lion's Gate Hospital in the Emergency Department . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲? It was the rock that attracted me to Squamish, but it's people are the reason I stay. . 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬? Go to work, wash hands, change into scrubs and put on mask and safety glasses, wash hands, learn about another new policy change, wash hands, prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and wash those hands! . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? I've started taking online yoga classes, walk my dog on the local trails, and have a puzzle on the go! . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲? Right now, lot's of mixed emotions…."That's the way the world goes 'round. You're up one day and the next you're down" – John Prine

A post shared by Ground Up Climbing Centre (@climbgroundup) on Apr 27, 2020 at 11:46am PDT

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Local healthcare hero features continue with Melissa Smart! Thank you to Melissa and all our healthcare workers.. we appreciate you! . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡? Lifestyle . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? Register Nurse . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝? My Mom!❤️ . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲? There has been so much generosity shown to the nurses. The 7 o’clock parade at the hospital is so heartwarming. . 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬? It’s more about the unknown and the fear. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? I have been enjoying the sunshine! I feel very grateful for the social distancing space we are so fortunate for. . 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲? STAY THE Fxxx Home!

A post shared by Ground Up Climbing Centre (@climbgroundup) on Apr 24, 2020 at 8:43am PDT