Norm Macdonald MLA                                              Columbia River – Revelstoke

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

October 29, 2009

Fight for Norm Gagatek continues

VICTORIA – Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald is continuing the fight to protect services for Invermere stroke victim Norm Gagatek.

In Question Period on Tuesday, Macdonald demanded that Health Minister Kevin Falcon reverse cuts to speech therapy in Invermere and Golden. 

Tuesday, October 27, 2009, afternoon (Hansard):

N. Macdonald: In July of 2008 Norm Gagatek, a 39 year-old firefighter from Invermere, suffered a devastating brain stem stroke.  He had a family depending on him and a child on the way, and since the day of his stroke, he has struggled to make some kind of recovery.

It was when a speech therapist in Invermere started to work directly with Norm that he started to regain the ability to swallow and the possibility of saying his new son’s name.  But the speech language pathologist who was providing Norm and others with direct therapy on a consistent schedule is now being cut by the IHA.

The question for the Minister of Health is: will the minister restore the speech therapy services that Norm and his family desperately need?

Macdonald also spoke passionately in the House on Wednesday during 2nd reading debate of Bill 17, Health Statutes (Residents’ Bill of Rights) Amendment Act, 2009, about the need to provide health services to Norm Gagatek.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, afternoon (Hansard):

N. Macdonald: Yesterday in the House we talked about a gentleman who is going to be in Columbia House.  At the age of 39 he had a stroke.  The stroke has been devastating, of course.  He had a child on the way.  He had a family to look after.

There was hope with a speech pathologist that he would be able to say his children’s names.  He had made progress.  When he had to go to Calgary for more treatment and for a number of weeks didn’t have the help from the speech pathologist, he regressed.

Now he has come back and found that the speech pathologist that he needs has been removed. 

Global TV News visited with Norm and his partner Kim Harris on October 27 to show the real face of the BC Liberal health care cuts.

“The BC Liberals promised during the election that there would be no cuts to clinical health services.  But after the election, we have seen a round of cuts that have huge impacts on people’s lives.  This is just one example of the effects of the cuts,” said Macdonald.

“It just can’t be acceptable to abandon someone like Norm Gagatek, to refuse him the therapy that he needs.  He and his family are fighting hard to recover.  Norm is determined to be able to return home to Kim and his kids.”

Firefighters from across the region and numerous Columbia Valley residents have been sending messages to the Premier and the Health Minister asking that this cut be reversed.

“The Minister of Health needs to do the right thing.  He needs to cancel this cut so that Norm Gagatek can continue with his rehabilitation.”

-- 30 --