FROM THE PAST

Vern, 

About a year ago I found Dr. John Godel who cared for us at Lejac in the early sixties. He lives on one of the small islands off Vancouver Island. This is part of a letter I sent to him prior to contacting him. He was a wonderful doctor and went on to serve the people in Africia. You can type his name into Google and see a 10 minute Video on his life’s work. We were lucky to have had his services at Lejac.  Jim 

To Dr. John Godel

Dear John,

Now here is a voice from your past, early 60’s, Lejac Indian Residential School, Bro. James Callanan.

I fondly remember your weekly visits to care for the children and the staff at the school. I remember the night I called you and asked you to come out to the school because I was afraid I would have one of the children die by the next morning without your intervention. You came to the rescue and you had to send one of the Lejac staff back to the Vanderhoof  hospital to get a bunch of IV equipment because about 6 of the boys were totally dehydrated. While we waited for the IV equipment to arrive back at the school you took an extra stethoscope out of your satchel and handed it to me and began to teach me how to recognize pneumonia. I still have that Stethoscope. I think you found 7 or 8 pneumonias among the 50 boys we had down with the measles. When the IV equipment turned up I got some hockey sticks and taped them to the beds and then taped coat hangers to the hockey sticks so we could hang the IV bottles. You then taught me how to run the IV’s. What an experience and what a responsibility. I was all of 23 years old at the time. I think I went almost 3 days without sleep trying to keep the boys alive and nursed back to health. One of the boys ended up with a large patch of white hair in the center front of his head. It appeared over night and stayed with him permanently. Thank God that was the only permanent damage as a result of the epidemic. 

Another time you came to my rescue was when I built a Heathkit guitar amp for the boys dance band and I could not get the darn thing to work. I phoned you and took it in to your house. After about an hour or so testing you figured I had one faulty radio tube. I picked one up at the local radio store and was in business. Again thanks.

Jim Callanan

(received November 15, 2013)