There’s really nothing very amusing about the words “cardiac” or “catheter,” or even “clinic,” for that matter. They don’t even sound particularly pleasant, at least to my ear - and most of the associated connotations are not exceedingly happy ones. So what is a presumably happy little column like this one doing even mentioning those “C words”? Good question. Perhaps I should explain.
Recently I ran into an old friend that I hadn’t seen in a long time. The old friend remembered the Rotten Kids fondly (though that could have been a fib) but here’s the thing: we got to blabbing about what people like me – people of a certain age – always blab about which is, of course, the weather. Just kidding, we skipped that part and went directly to the number one topic, His Highness Donald “Twiddley Dumb” Trump. Still kidding, we actually talked about health issues because that’s what I’m used to talking about with my friends.
Picture this: Yours Truly and two or three old buddies are having coffee at the local fossil hangout. “How’s the old plantar fasciitis?” one friend would say. “Pretty good these days, but my sciatica is really acting up,” I’ll reply, “How’s your arthritis?” “I can barely sit and watch TV for more than three or four hours at a time anymore without getting one of my migraines!” another will say. And so on (and on, and on) like that. But this time the person I hadn’t seen for a long time cut right to the heart of the matter and talked first-hand about how desperately a cardiac catheterization clinic is needed right here in Central Alberta.
Now I wasn’t entirely sure what a cardiac catheterization clinic even was, and all I really knew about “catheter” was that it was definitely what I call a “wince word.” You kind of wince when you hear the word, especially if you are male, if you get my drift.
Anyway, I got to thinking how great it would be to raise awareness and moola and political will for a lab here in town that would save some 35 lives every year through a 20-minute procedure. You know, instead of having to spend tens of thousands of dollars and risk lives sending heart attack victims to Edmonton or Calgary in busy ambulances like we do now.
And so it was that as time ticked by the bouncing ball was picked up by the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation and Feb. 24th turned out to be the day. The day of what, you may ask, and good on you.
In just a few weeks the big event with feature a highlight version of our retro rock and roll show called Time Machine. We’re getting some of the multi-talented Time Machine mega musicians back together to do a few favorite numbers from the 60s, 70s and 80s on a musical journey around the world. In addition to the time-travelling entertainment and a lovely buffet supper, there will also be other fun-time shenanigans like videos and a silent auction and a photo booth and a 50/50 draw and people wearing red.
It’s called Time is Muscle on account of when you are having a crisis of the heart (the muscle not the metaphor), the more time ticks, the more damage done.
So even if you think “cardio” is a radio in a car, and even if you don’t like those other “c words”, come on out to The Krossing Feb. 24th – it will truly be an act of the heart.
Harley Hay is a Red Deer writer and filmmaker.