Wellness is all about being proactive and putting in the time to improve your own resilience.
In order to make this point, and raise awareness of the importance of self-care, Alberta Blue Cross is once more hosting its annual “Faces of Wellness” campaign.
Alberta Blue Cross launched the Faces of Wellness program in 2021 to celebrate and recognize Albertans who are champions for wellness in their communities. By telling their personal stories of wellness, these champions will inspire others to do more for their own health and wellbeing both physically and mentally.
Alberta Blue Cross then chooses among these wonderful stories to reward those it feels best exemplifies the self-care message it is hoping to convey to the public, providing gift cards for the runners-up and, in the case of the best overall story, an all expenses paid vacation to the Rockies.
Airdronian Chad Verge chose to share his story in 2022, and was one of the runners-up for best wellness story.
Verge suffered a heart attack in March 2021 while taking part in a spin class. As a very fit 46-year-old man, Verge didn’t know at first what was wrong. It was only when he went to the hospital that he was told he had three blockages in his heart and would require some stints.
“In my case, it was 100 per cent genetics,” explained Verge, whose father also suffered a severe heart attack in late fifties. “Because I was active, and I did look after myself, they (the doctors) believed that it kept me from having a fatal heart attack.”
Why Verge said he chose to share his story for the Alberta Blue Cross Faces of Wellness campaign was to convey the message that one should never take one’s health for granted – even when you eat right and stay active, like he does.
Verge’s story took another turn just recently when he suffered another heart attack and needed another stint put in on July 31. This was even after being told by his doctor he was the “picture of health” after recovering from his 2021 experience.
He wanted to encourage people to get checked out regularly, and don’t ignore the warning signs, even if you are otherwise an active and healthy person.
“The key thing I want to emphasize to people is, first, do not ignore your health,” Verge stated. “I am still on this side of the turf. So I will keep on going, keep on walking, and doing what I can, and following the doctor’s orders.”
Airdronian Theo Adjei was another runner-up in the Alberta Blue Cross Faces of Wellness campaign in 2022. He is a social worker who works mainly with pre-teens and youth in Calgary who come from difficult circumstances.
He wanted to share his wellness story to emphasize that self-care isn’t just for certain people, but must start at a young age for everyone.
“Wellness is applied on a day-to-day basis,” Adjei explained. “It’s great to help people get that understanding as well … Being an adolescent is a tricky age, or being a pre-teen. There is a discovery they are going through in trying to figure out their position in life.”
Adjei said schools are getting better at teaching the importance of mental wellbeing and self-care to younger children, but said it also has to carry on when those students go home. That’s why it is important to give youth strategies they can incorporate in their daily lives, he argued.
“There are still a lot of children and youth who are struggling in dealing with mental health,” he said.
Adjei said “sports therapy,” for example, is a very valuable way to teach young people and youth some important self-care and mental health lessons.
“I like to shoot some hoops with them and discuss where they are at in terms of stress, and see how they are channelling their energy into something positive,” he said.
To learn more about the Alberta Blue Cross Faces of Wellness campaign, or to submit your wellness story, visit facesofwellness.ca.
