By Xavier Kataquapit
I grew up on the James Bay coast and from a young age I learned that we were more or less on our own when it came to medical emergencies.
We had limited health care on the James Bay coast as was the case with most remote Indigenous communities across Canada. Most have never had a fulltime onsite doctor and, if any serious health matter arose, people had to be airlifted from Attawapiskat to Moosonee, Timmins or Kingston on emergency flights.
The health care system has been striving to deal with cutbacks, all kinds of shortages in doctors and nurses and health care practitioners for years and it is getting worse rather than better as time goes on.
I learned a lot about the health care system in the north when I met one of my partner’s childhood friends Dr. Alex Cutten in New Liskeard. I met him more than 25 years ago and, of course, I was raised to see these professionals as bigger than life and on a pedestal. However, on meeting Al, I realized he was one of the most open and kind people that ever came into my life. He was witty, an intellectual with a vast knowledge of medicine and just about every topic you can think of. He was curious about many subjects, and he was a lifelong musician.
I was fortunate to spend many days with him and my partner Mike as they analyzed the world around them. They are both from Iroquois Falls and I heard many fond stories about their days in their music band ‘More Of The Sayme’ which played area venues in the late 1960s.
I learned a lot from Al and I came to understand just how challenging it was to work as a doctor in northern Ontario. Often when we were visiting him he would have to leave on a moment’s notice to head out to the hospital on an emergency as he was perpetually on call. At the very start of his career, when he graduated from Western University in London, Ont., he returned to northern Ontario where he was born and raised. He was the type of person that was interested in giving back.
He worked first in Matheson, Ont. and then later in New Liskeard for decades. Much of that time he was on call, and he rarely got a break as there was always a shortage of doctors in the north. He had no choice but to keep showing up for long hours and often to save the lives of those involved in traffic accidents on the notorious Highway 11.
I watched over the years how the stress and challenges of this dedication negatively affected my friend Al. He had a massive heart attack years ago that almost killed him and then soon after he retired. He still made himself available to family and friends to share his knowledge and consideration. His wife Diane, another close friend from Iroquois Falls and who had worked for many decades in nursing, was always at his side and that made things easier for him.
This week we learned of the passing of Dr. Alex Cutten and that news was devastating. At 76 years of age his poor health took him from us. I am thinking today of how difficult this time is for my partner Mike as he and Al were like brothers over the years. Al is survived by his wife Diane, his sisters Margie and Marion and many nieces and nephews as well a great grand nieces and nephews. His legacy is one of a huge dedication to caring for people in northern Ontario.
Thousands of people were helped by him over the years, even when he was struggling himself with the challenges and stress of working in an underfunded and overwhelmed northern health care system. I learned from Al what it takes and what the sacrifices are of dedicating a life to helping others.
I also learned that, as good citizens, we need to make sure that governments provide necessary funding so that everyone has access to prompt and quality health care no matter when they live in Canada. We need to provide as much assistance as possible to our doctors and all health care professionals so that they are not overwhelmed and stressed out to the point where it affects their quality of life.
I saw Al as I did so many Elders and traditional people I knew from the James Bay coast, as well as so many that grew up in this part of the country. He had heard of the pioneering hardships of previous generations, and he saw firsthand the difficult lives we lead up here in the north in both the Native and non-Native communities. He had a strong kinship to the north and to wanting to make life one step better for everyone around him.
The Dr. Alex Cuttens of this world are far too precious to us. We need to honour them and to take care of them on their dedicated journey of care for all of us.