Memories of the Shriners

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/05/2019 (2339 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most of Ray Wiebe’s youth was spent in the care of physicians.

The 64-year-old, who is originally from rural Saskatchewan, contracted polio as an infant while receiving treatment in a Saskatoon hospital for an unrelated illness.

The disease devastated his young body.  

“At that time I was in pretty rough shape. They tried to do some surgeries in Saskatoon, but polio was just at its infancy, and nobody knew much about it, apparently,” Wiebe said.

When Wiebe was about two years old, the manager of the bank in his hometown referred his parents to the Khartum Shriners Hospital for children in Winnipeg.

“They drove me to Winnipeg to be seen by the doctors in the Shriners Hospital and at that point there was a recommendation that I stay and have back surgery because at that time I couldn’t walk or do anything,” he said.

Wiebe spent two and a half years at the hospital at 633 Wellington Cres. He had three spinal fusions, and upon his initial release, would be required to check back every six months or so, and stay for prolonged periods, until the age of 16.

“It was something that kids my age at that time, you know, there was a lot of crying going on because nobody wanted to stay, and stay that far away from your parents,” Wiebe said. “But looking back at it now, if it wasn’t for the Shriners, I probably wouldn’t have been walking today.

“I would love to be able to go back and thank the former Shriners, the nurses and doctors,” he added. “Because if it wasn’t for them, I would be in very rough shape today.”  

The Khartum Shriners operated the children’s hospital until 1977, when the building was sold to the provincial government for a dollar and became the Rehabilitation Centre for Children.

Today, the Shriners of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario still offer specialized health care services at four children’s hospitals in North America, including one in Montreal. The hospitals specialize in orthopedic surgery, burn care, cleft lip and palate, and osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, as well as conducting research and education.

Don Thomson, hospital chair and transportation co-ordinator, said the local club facilitates and funds approximately 250 patient visits annually.

This year, the Shriners have organized their first “Memories Barbecue” on June 2 at its temple at 1155 Wilkes Avenue. The intent of the event is to get past and present patients, members, hospital staff, and families together to share stories and meet one another.

“It’s more to have a reunion. A lot of these patients know each other,” Thomson said. “It’s for patients to meet patients.”

Brenda McKechnie, first lady of Shrine, said she and her husband Doug, the potentate of the Khartum, run into past patients of the hospital time and again.

Just thinking about their stories, and the impact of the care they received through the Shriners, causes McKechnie to tear up.

“They’re all over the province. We thought, why don’t we bring them together and have a celebration of all the good work that they’ve accomplished through intervention of the Shriners,” she said.”There’s been 97 years of caring for Shrine kids.”

The barbecue runs from 12 to 5 p.m. and food is available by donation. There will also be plenty of entertainment, with a pipe and drum band set to perform, the Shriners clown unit will be out and about, and there will also be drifting demonstrations by the Shriners trike unit.

The event is open to the public and all are welcome to attend.