All Categories

Some Days are Diamonds, Some Days are Stones

6/21/2019

As we come upon the One Year milestone of my nephew Marc’s miraculous heart transplant, I wanted to share the followup stories of these remarkable people related to our dairy community. Tough journeys can still be punctuated with happy stretches and gratitude. I offer my deep thanks to Marc, Kim/George, and Jeremy for their perseverance, faith and inspiration. I’m sure their updates will resonate with many others in our broad dairy community – for now, their days are diamonds. Please consider registering as an organ donor if you haven’t already – transplant.bc.ca.

But I also want to make mention of our dairy friends from Milky Wave Dairy in Ontario. It was last June/July that Henk and Bettina Schuurmans embarked on their epic cross-Canada tractor tour to bring positive attention to the Canadian Dairy industry. We all know what happened. We must keep that family in our prayers, as healing will be a long road.

Back to Health – Everything Else is a Bonus

George and Kim love walking, hiking and biking once again.

George and Kim Keulen are truly grateful for where they find themselves heading into Summer 2019. It was June 2018 that Kim was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer, requiring six-months of chemotherapy followed by an intensive, eight-hour surgery in February to remove the remaining cancer from her abdomen. They are thrilled to report that Kim is fully recovered, back to work full-time and going for walks, and planning some summer camping trips! They are also grateful that throughout this whole stressful ordeal, George’s health has remained stable, with his lung function even improving slightly from this time last year. Both are grateful to their doctors who showed much care and compassion, their family for their unconditional support, and their workplaces (Elim Village and Bridge Community Church) for giving them muchneeded time off for recovery following Kim’s surgery. Her next scan at the end of the summer will indicate if further treatment is required, while George continues to visit the Transplant Clinic every four months for routine checkups. Giving thanks!

Remarkable Renal Restoration

Jeremy loves his favourite cow Della and little sis Lillian.

Little Jeremy Wikkerink was first introduced in the fall of 2017 when he had barely turned three-years old and received a kidney from his father Jason. He continues to share his unrestrained smile and enthusiasm for cows and chickens anytime he greets visitors at the farm. Mother Michelle provides this update: “Jeremy is doing really well. He is now 20 months post-transplant and all the doctors are happy with how things are going. He has high energy, is growing well and is now attending preschool. If you ask Jeremy what he would like to do - 99% of the time he will reply with ‘Go to work!’ either with his Aunt Cindy or Uncle William. You can’t keep him out of the barn - he loves his cows!”

No need to genotype him...he’s clearly a Wikkerink!

342 Days Since Marc’s Second Chance

Marc and Jessica Bains can enjoy travel once again.

“Not a day goes by where I don’t think about June 6, 2018. It is the day I was gifted with my new heart. The day that changed my life.

I remember the team telling me that the recovery would not be easy, and it would not be smooth. Okay, maybe they say that to everyone. No expectations. However, me being me, I was counting down the days until I could travel, get back on the squash court and live the life I wanted to live. What is life without a little ambition?

For the first six months, my heart rarely agreed with my ambition. Not only did I face multiple episodes of rejection - my body was fighting this foreign object - but I also dealt with a recurrence of my cancer. Never one to give up, I continued to fight through.

December was the turning point. I was cancer-free and my heart was being accepted by my body. I felt a new energy and new zest for life that told me it was time to push forward. But I had to remember to listen to my body, or my amazing wife, whoever told me to slow down first!

I’ve been fortunate enough to continue what I love doing. I travelled to Rome to expand our charitable reach globally (Heartlife Foundation), spent time in Malta enjoying the beach and even started to jog. As I come up to June 6, 2019, I will continue to push forward, testing my limits, living my second-chance life. I remain grateful for my donor, donor family and the amazing gift I received.”

0 Comments

Happy Birthday BC Holstein News!

4/16/2019

0 Comments

40 Years Old and Looking Good!

It was the spring of 1979 and four very enthusiastic guys were plotting out the beginnings of an inaugural purebred sale which would super-charge the BC Holstein breeding industry for many years. Dick Carlson, Pete Beck, John Brown and Gerry Holt unintentionally ruffled a few feathers at the BC Branch with their big plans for the Dogwood Classic sale. The sale would become a CFV Holstein Club event and by all accounts, it was a roaring success. But what every big event needs is promotion! And that was the genesis of the BC Holstein News story... 40 years ago!

Jerry Strandlund had started the Northwest Holstein News only a few years earlier in Washington state, so he was approached to produce a similar publication to promote the Dogwood Classic. In fact, Jerry played a dual role, since he had recently become the most popular cattle photographer, and pictures of sale animals were crucial. “This was the ‘heyday’ of cattle merchandising. I was publishing a newspaper every month in Washington,” recalls Jerry. “ET was taking off, there were sales and shows all over the northwest, and everyone wanted pictures. There were big dollars being spent, and the same wave was rolling across BC,” explains Jerry. Dick Carlson stated the need for a strong sale like the Dogwood in the west. “We needed a real sale – an honest sale with no BS,” Dick asserts. “The PNE sales commanded a premium but the quality of cattle wasn’t always great; too many would sell their bottom-enders.”

Together with the help of Barb Souter, Jerry produced the first issues of BC Holstein News in June, July and October of 1979.

“I always thought the paper should be as much about the people who love and care for the cows, as about the cows themselves, and news of the dairy industry,”
– Barb Souter

“I was involved from the first issue, writing feature articles and editorial material for the paper, and helping with the distribution in BC,” reminisces Barb. From the get-go, the breeders on Vancouver Island latched onto the promotional possibilities in the very first issue. “Vancouver Island Holstein breeders asked Jerry if he would put out a second issue in July to promote their annual club sale, and again this issue was popular with many breeders advertising their herds and sale consignments,” Barb adds. With so much on his plate already, Jerry asked Barb, who was skilled in journalism, reporting and photography, if she would like to take over the BC Holstein News. Well, to throw out a well-worn cliché, ‘the rest is history!’ From January 1980, Barb dove in, with a clear intent to make the newspaper informative and interesting to families across BC. “I always thought the paper should be as much about the people who love and care for the cows, as about the cows themselves, and news of the dairy industry,” shares Barb. And much like family farm businesses, the kids invariably get pulled in to help! “It’s been gratifying to me to see that ‘Udder News’ has remained a popular feature of each issue, as we keep in touch with what’s going on in the lives of those involved with dairy cattle.” Barb was right – the paper found its niche in connecting the lives of farming families, with the dairy cattle business.

Everyone knows that times have changed; cattle merchandising is certainly not what it used to be and the business of breeding, showing and selling has shrunk to the ‘one percent.’ It’s hardly a local game any longer. Add in digital/internet/socialmedia technologies and the foundation of advertising in print media has nearly crumbled. Genomics and IVF have taken herd improvement to an entirely different ballpark. We’re not in Kansas anymore!

But this isn’t the end of the story. BC Holstein News has continued strong for 40 years, adapting to new technologies and new rhythms in the dairy industry, while continuing to document all that makes our industry a specially-connected sector of agriculture. I love to look back through old issues of the newspaper and Directory – they are time-capsules of our lives! The people, the cows, the bulls, the machinery, the events and issues. We may be so busy living our lives each day that we don’t consider documenting these moments as important. But there comes a time in everyone’s story when we want to retrace our steps and recall our journeys – to savour once more each bite of our past – and the BC Holstein News helps us do just that. The ads that breeder herds placed over the decades have become like fingerprints of their farms, herds and families. And while I understand why breeder ads have slowed to a trickle, it still leaves me a little sad that so many won’t have these precious archival fragments to look back upon.

I’m thrilled to be giving the BC Holstein News an injection of adrenaline – and I intend to capture the stories and events that should be told now and preserved for the future. Yes, dairying must be a profitable business, or everything falls apart – but the richness of it comes from the collective enthusiasm and momentum of agribusinesses, farms, corporate businesses, industry associations and all the people that intersect because of our common denominator – the dairy cow.

So, I offer my thanks and appreciation to the first Dogwood Committee, Jerry, Barb, the Booys and all those who assisted in making this newspaper such an important part of BC’s dairy story. A special thanks to the advertisers and sponsors who make it all possible! Cheers!

0 Comments

New Ideas Seldom Come from Old Thoughts

2/15/2019

0 Comments

Louis Schurmann and Dave Taylor – longtime dairy producer advocates and leaders.

The Mainland Young Milk Producers – a brilliant, positive incubator for discussing issues, learning and interacting with dairy producers that share similar challenges.

It’s easy to get caught up in your own ‘stuff.’ We all have too much to do and not enough time to get it done. It’s too easy to stay home and just work harder.

The nature of dairy farming keeps everyone working long days close to the barn. A lot of information flows directly to your smartphones – we’re connected to others, social media and news like never before. But it can never replace gathering with others. Sure, we like the socializing, but I think we benefit from the exposure to new ideas that come from interesting origins – not necessarily Facebook.

This recent BC Dairy Industry Conference marked its tenth year – well worth noting, since it continues to go strong despite our steadily shrinking producer numbers. Not everyone agrees on the downtown venue, but it remains a draw to most to get away from the farm and see what the urban neighbours are up to. I appreciate the efforts of the organizers to find interesting and varied keynote speakers every year – it can’t be easy. You will find summaries of most of the presentations in this issue – but they can’t possibly replace the value of actually being there to experience the emotions, details, questions and reactions. If you’ve not attended, I would encourage you to come out and see what your industry is doing past the farm gate – we are blessed with many producers that sit on boards and committees to help guide this business. More than ever – we need everyone to support our leaders as they continue to advocate for dairy in the political halls that we must watch constantly.

At a different level, I had the pleasure of attending the Mainland Young Milk Producers Winter Gala in Abbotsford in December. What a brilliant concept! Bringing together young people with similar challenges and interests in a fun, welcoming and positive structure builds engagement and leadership early! Everyone starts their dairy journey somewhere, and this group offers a safe place to engage at important levels without judgement! I think many would agree that sometimes personal growth and learning is enhanced away from home and parents.

While much of 2018 was spent in the clutches of NAFTA battles, I am hopeful that we can put our hands around its neck and not let it choke our momentum to be positive, progressive and innovative. We can’t change the outcome – we can only adapt and be enthusiastic for the non-dairy world to see who we really are! We are a vibrant, progressive industry of family farms, and we need to ensure our reputations deserve the support of Canadian consumers.

If you can’t join a board, at least come out and engage with your peers – we are better when we work together and pull together. Besides, life’s a journey – get involved and make it interesting!

0 Comments

Erring on the Side of Friendship

11/29/2018

0 Comments

L-R: Sherm Polinder, Karen Souter, Tars, Chubb Berry.

Nearly everyone reading this will relate to the unsettling months of NAFTA negotiations and the feeling of betrayal left by the new ‘Shafta’ trade agreement. People outside of dairy fall into either the ‘We support 100% Canadian dairy,’ or the ‘Get over it’ camps. There has been much churning over the still-unknown consequences of the fine print and long term / deep reaching ramifications for Canadian producers. Friends have told me that their daily farm work has been both a blessing for distracting them from all the upheaval, and a burden, since they worry for their business futures. It’s been hard and emotions have, understandably, been running hot.

Like many of you, I have taken to social media to make appropriate statements to support our industry and refute the myths and criticisms that proliferate and grow roots. While many Canadians have professed loyal support, at times, it feels like we are fighting forest fires with garden hoses. In the midst of this mess, a situation arose that caused me to think about our reactions during stressful times.

The recent dispersal of a prominent Whatcom County herd in Abbotsford would not have raised eyebrows prior to Shafta, but at this anxious time, it caused many to ask, “Why are we supporting the purchase of American cattle when our own industry has taken a direct hit from the Americans? Should we not be supporting the trade in Canadian cattle?” Fair questions. If we are beating the drum of ‘Support Canadian Dairy’ then should we not also do the same?

Here’s the dilemma – Sherm Polinder, Ronelee Holsteins, has been not only a life-long friend of BC breeders, but he’s been a vocal supporter and activist for Supply Management in the US. Well-respected, he has taken the case for adoption of a similar system to the highest levels in the American political arena… often at great sacrifice to his own farm. Sherm endorsed the Canadian kind of breeding - his most famous and successful cow family, ‘the Dabbles’ were headed by Outside and Rudolph and these bloodlines are already appreciated and milked in BC. At any other time, selling 100 of his best cows in Abbotsford would have been seen as enticing. But in the midst of Shafta, we felt insult, on top of injury. It’s an uncomfortable situation to be sure.

I won’t speak for anyone else but me. Sherm has been an exemplary guy who chose me as PNE Grand Champion Showman in 1981 – which was especially pivotal for a little known 4-H kid without any pedigree. That was just the start.

Friendship had to come ahead of political position.

There’s no clear right or wrong here in my view – we must each live with our conscience. But if we turn against one another, then we’ve been shafted twice. At the end of our careers/lives, I think the most important legacy we will leave is how we treated one another.

0 Comments

One Family’s Relief, One Family’s Grief

10/9/2018

0 Comments

I can still remember the big smile Wiebe Keulen flashed when he greeted our busload of farm visitors in 1990, before dashing off with urgency – this was Neveridle Farm. I had many great visits since that time with Art and Wilma and got to know young George as well, who was every bit as personable as the other Keulens. George was afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis – a genetic condition that slowly and unforgivingly strangles the lungs. His CF would catch up to him in his mid-20’s and he was added to the Organ Transplant List in 2008 when his lung function dropped below 25%. It was an agonizing 18 months of waiting, with no guarantees that he would get new lungs before CF would get him. But June 2010 was the start of George’s second life – when he received his new double lungs. So many years of barely living would be replaced with his rebounding joy – he has participated in numerous walks, hikes and cycling events since, to raise awareness and funds for CF. Today, George is working as a Pastor in Langley City, where needles can be found outside their doors. But George has perspective, a deep faith and has been a true example of Living Hope. I wish I could say this was the happy ending we all love to see. But life is not always fair and some situations defy understanding. George’s wife Kim overcame her own health knock in 2016 – colon cancer. And all seemed fine until this spring. Kim’s cancer is back and she is undergoing treatments once again. Hard to wrap your head around. That’s why we need prayer.

My ever-smiling and engaging nephew Marc was a mere 23 when a virus attacked his heart and left him significantly compromised. In time, he would stabilize and function adequately, but he’d crash unexpectedly also. We nearly lost him more than once over the next ten years. One grows up fast when one faces death up close. Smiling, he continued to live life with measured involvement but would eventually reach a point in August 2017 when his heart was stopping unexpectedly, over and over. Back onto The List he went – joining more than 600 others - all waiting for an organ, because this was the only option. It would be a long and wearing 10 month wait. June 5 came the text telling me he got ‘The Call’. Shivers and sweats followed, but it was the only way forward. Marc’s years coping with heart failure caused him to meet a great many wonderful people, including Jillianne Code, a two-time transplant survivor. They would co-found the HeartLife Foundation, the only organization dedicated to heart-failure patient advocacy. As the 500th heart transplant recipient, Marc made a presentation two months after his miracle surgery at St. Paul’s Hospital, commemorating this milestone. Twenty years ago, the five-year survival rate was in the 60-65% range. Today, that survival rate has climbed to well over 80% and many are going strong after 30 years! Please read Marc and George’s personal accounts below.

Amid all this celebration, we ought not to forget that someone lost their life in order to provide the precious organ which gave life to another.

There’s just over a million people registered on the BC Organ Donor Registry, but that’s still just 25% of our population. I’ve been registered for about 30 years – back when it required forms and stamped envelopes. Now, you just have to register online: www.transplant.bc.ca - Live life. Pass it on.

A Second Chance at LIFE

By Marc Bains

I remember it clearly, June 5 at 10am. Heading home from the office, I realize I hadn’t had my Tim’s. There is a new location ahead I’ll stop at, but it’s under construction. Guess it’s to the regular spot. Then it came. The Call. The second call. “Marc, we think we have a heart for you.” Ten years living with heart failure. Ten years of ‘being sick’ - was this it? My first thought was, ‘Better call the wife.’ Second - this may not be the one. We’ve had a dry run nine months ago. Back to the call: “Is it okay if I head home and take a shower?” I could be in for a long stay. This time around I’ve been on the transplant list for 10 months. I spent a year on the transplant list about nine years ago, but they thought I’d be better to keep my compromised heart as long as possible.

After arriving at St. Paul’s about 11:30am, I headed up to 5B where I am a familiar face. The entire floor is vibrating. Everyone is happy and wishing me luck. Hoping this is the one.

Time to get on with testing. No food or drink. Really wishing I’d stopped for Tim’s! Change into my blue hospital gown. The surgeon comes in. I will never forget his joy, his confidence, his smile. His calm, cool presence puts me at ease. Blood work, x-ray, swabs, it’s now 7pm. Still no confirmation. It’s a 50/50 chance the heart will be a match.

I try to keep distracted by making calls, keeping the mood light with family and friends and trying not to be consumed by what’s next. 10:30pm. It’s time. And still not 100 percent certain, but close enough that I’m on to the OR. My heart is pounding. It’s overwhelming. I’ve been here before… just breathe. It’s time to say ‘See you later’ to the family. My wife and I head to the OR doors. This is really happening. It’s time to part ways. This is harder than I thought. Every emotion is running through my mind. This is it.

Seconds, minutes, hours pass.

June 6th, 2018: My heart, my second heart, is beating inside of me. I am alive.

Ten years of living with heart failure. Ten years of not knowing when my heart would stop. That stage in my life is over. It’s time to think about the next challenges. The coming months will still require considerable monitoring, adjusting, managing the organ rejection. I can live with a lifetime of anti-rejection meds. I feel so much gratitude for my family, my friends, my wife, the entire medical team. This journey was not traveled by me alone.

It’s not lost upon me that my life continues as the result of someone’s loss. It’s that and so much more. It’s the result of a generous, brave and amazing human being who decided that saving a life, saving my life, saving the life of someone they’ve never met was both important and possible. Become an organ donor. Save a life.

www.transplant.bc.ca

Every Breath I Take…

By George Keulen

The dream would go something like this: I would be in the middle of cutting a twenty-five acre grass field in our John Deere 4455, when suddenly, over the roar of the tractor and wailing of the mower, my beeper would begin to shriek and my belt begin to vibrate—The Call had come!

I would lift the mower, swing it behind the tractor, and race down the lane to the farm; I’d meet my wife, grab my “go bag” and we would be off to Vancouver General Hospital to receive my precious new ‘Gift of Life’ in the form of a double-lung transplant!

The reality, however, never came close to this. In early June 2010, I found myself living in St. Paul’s Hospital. Instead of cutting grass or spreading manure, I found myself unable to breathe without the help of oxygen being pushed into my nose, without the constant flow of antibiotics coursing through my veins, and without the ability to walk for more than a couple minutes without becoming breathless.

By Spring 2010 when most farming families were greasing mowers, rakes, and harvesters, my family was watching the remaining months of my life tick by; while so many other young farmers were taking on more responsibility and beginning families of their own, I was being told I had only four to six months left to live. I had already been waiting 18 months for a lifesaving double-lung transplant to rescue me from the fatal genetic illness I was born with - Cystic Fibrosis. Between November 2008 and June 2010, I had spent close to 200 days in St. Paul’s Hospital, and had come close to death a couple times. There was the time my right lung collapsed twice in one week; the time blood vessels burst in my lungs causing me to cough up copious amounts of blood; and then there was the time my antibiotic dosage was so high that I had an allergic reaction leaving me so out of breath, I could not even speak. But all that changed at 5am on a beautiful June 2010 morning. As farmers were beginning morning milking, my hospital room erupted with the news, “They found a set of lungs for you!”

It has now been eight years since my transplant and it has been an amazing journey! But this autumn also marks ten years since I last milked a cow and sat behind the wheel of a tractor; ten years since I had to walk away from a vocation that I loved because of my failing lungs. But in giving it up, I do not do so only for myself - but I do so also in honor of my donor, to live the healthiest and best life possible for him or her! It is an incredibly humbling thing to know that my lungs are not my own, but that they were given to me as a gift, and it is now my responsibility to honor that gift and life, through the life I now live.

Organ donation saves lives! Myself, Marc, and countless others in this province are living proof of that. As farmers, there may come a time when you will begin thinking about what kind of legacy you want to leave; could there be a better legacy than the precious Gift of Life? Please…. register today!

0 Comments

Some Days are Diamonds, Some Days are Stones

Back to Health – Everything Else is a Bonus

Remarkable Renal Restoration

342 Days Since Marc’s Second Chance

Happy Birthday BC Holstein News!

New Ideas Seldom Come from Old Thoughts

Erring on the Side of Friendship

One Family’s Relief, One Family’s Grief

A Second Chance at LIFE

Every Breath I Take…

Archives

Categories