
Cheryl Girard
West Kildonan community correspondent
Cheryl Girard is a community correspondent for West Kildonan.
Recent articles of Cheryl Girard
Ten books to inspire your life
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Feb. 15, 202310 songs to comfort and inspire
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023Festive Christmas recipes
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022Vulnerable still in danger from COVID-19
2 minute read Preview Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022It’s been a tough slog. Actually that’s an understatement. It’s been dark, extraordinarily stressful and depressing for all of us since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
June is MG month in Manitoba
2 minute read Preview Thursday, Jun. 16, 2022Comfort food for uncomfortable times
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Apr. 28, 2022Weeping for Ukrainian relatives
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2022When I was a child, I used to doodle quite a bit. Sometimes it was a picture of me with a line drawn down the middle.
It was my way of trying to understand who I was, I guess. Being a child, I saw myself as half English and half Ukrainian – literally.
My dad was Ukrainian, and my mother was English. Both my parents went through the Second World War. Like many who went through the war years, they didn’t talk about it.
Today there is another war going on and I knew I had to write about this new war as I can think of little else, even though I write a week before this will be printed
A voice for the immunocompromised
5 minute read Preview Monday, Jan. 31, 2022Mmm, mmm… tourtière
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021Aah… the soothing power of music
3 minute read Preview Friday, Nov. 26, 2021Saturday breakfasts with Dad
3 minute read Preview Friday, Oct. 29, 2021A pleasant distraction in difficult times
3 minute read Preview Friday, Oct. 1, 2021There’s still a long way to go — stay safe
3 minute read Preview Friday, Jul. 16, 2021June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jun. 15, 2021Since June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month in Canada and the U.S., I thought I would write a little something to help bring a little more awareness to this disease. There is so much research needed.
It has been about five years since I was diagnosed with MG and I have to say that the struggle is ongoing. I have been waiting to try a different, stronger medication but the wait has been months now.
All of the fears and worries surrounding this COVID-19 pandemic have only increased in the last few weeks and they exacerbate all kinds of illnesses for people, making them that much difficult to deal with.
MG is a rare, neurological autoimmune disease that causes weakness in muscles that we normally take for granted. Although it varies, the muscles involved usually include those used for breathing, speech, swallowing, vision and often arms and legs.
The Kildonans should have a pedestrian bridge
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Apr. 22, 2021Being outdoors and being able to walk outside has become more and more important during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And there is so much more that can be done to make our city easier and more enjoyable to walk in, while at the same time making it more beautiful.
I’ve written about this before but it definitely bears repeating. One place that always comes to mind is the historic but sadly neglected Bergen Cut-Off Bridge that spans the Red River near our popular Kildonan Park.
The old steel structure was built in 1913 for the Canadian Pacific Railway and has sat basically unused since about 1928.
Supporting our local restaurants
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 23, 2021Time to support our local restaurants
3 minute read Preview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021Our options for going out have been restricted for months now. It seems like it’s been an eternity. But, of course, it’s all been necessary to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba.
We’ve mostly been cooking at home. Since my husband retired he seems to have taken a liking to cooking more and more.
To take our minds off the beastly cold winter, my bouts with illness and the continuous isolation, we have started to order takeout once in a while from local restaurants. We are also trying to support local businesses as they have been going through their own struggles.
With that in mind, here is just one recommendation for a local restaurant we have ordered from. Next month I will try to include a few more.
Reasons to be hopeful
2 minute read Preview Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021Here we are, saying farewell to January which is usually one of the coldest, greyest and bleakest months of the year. Many suffer from the January blues just because it is post -January, never mind winter.
With COVID-19 code red restrictions still in place as I write this, winter has been made even more difficult. We have had to stay home and away from family and friends for over two months now.
We have not been able to gather for the holidays. Pandemic fatigue is very real. We miss our family and friends. We are stressed, weary and lonely.
However, we know that focusing and dwelling on these negative aspects of our lives only hurts us and affects our mental health even more.
Wishing you health and all good things
3 minute read Preview Monday, Nov. 30, 2020As I write this during our most recent lockdown in November I am, like most people, missing family and friends and trying to cope.
Forgive me for offering up some more ideas, hopefully different ones this time, on how to get through this. But it feels like the pandemic is top of mind for all of us.
I am not a professional but, like many of us, I’ve had my share of difficult times and I have found these helpful.
These are certainly not my ideas but they are tried and true tips from many sources. Use what you like and leave the rest.
How to get through this winter
3 minute read Preview Friday, Nov. 13, 2020As I write this in late October, the trees are bare, we’ve had our first snowfall, it is cold out and our pandemic numbers are on the rise again.
With the cold months approaching and many of us not able to travel or, harder yet, unable to see our families, I thought I’d offer up some tips on how to get through winter as this is probably going to be one of our most difficult winters yet.
I’ve always been a list maker and, because I have health issues and am not a fan of winter anyway, my list has helped me over the past few winters.
I don’t pretend to imagine these are unique or that they will help everyone; use these as a starting point and feel free to make up your own list of ideas.
Coping during the pandemic
3 minute read Preview Monday, Oct. 5, 2020Back to school during a pandemic
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2020Thinking of venturing out in the world?
3 minute read Preview Monday, Aug. 10, 2020Pandemic has been rough for many
3 minute read Preview Monday, Jul. 13, 2020Our COVID-19 numbers are low. Manitoba seems to be doing better than some other provinces.
Yet in the U.S., at the time of writing, the number of cases are approaching horrific levels among our neighbours to the south. And if you’re still feeling anxious, confused or out of sorts, you are not alone.
An associate and friend of mine has been struggling through a dark period after losing her only two brothers and her beloved mother within a two-year span. This has left her without immediate family while dealing with overwhelming grief.
When COVID-19 hit Manitoba in mid February while she was still mourning, the solitude of lockdown magnified her grief and made it much harder to navigate.