Jackie

My name is Jackie Lapierre. I was born in Montmartre Saskatchewan, on July 16, 1959 in the Montmartre hospital. When I was three months old they found out I had meningitis. They also found out I had fluid on the brain. So, they had to put a shunt in to drain the fluid. But, they had to do it three times before one would work.

When I was a little girl the only way I could get around was by crawling on my bum because I didn't have a wheelchair of my own until I was 10 years old. I was sent to Wascana for therapy so I could learn how to walk. I also went to school there until I was 14. Then, I went home and took schooling by correspondence.

When I was 13, I was told by a doctor that I could possibly die by the time I was 30 because my lungs and my heart were being crushed. So, when I was 18 I decided to go to Toronto to have an operation. My mom came with me but she could only stay for a week because we lived on a farm, as my dad needed her at home. I was in Toronto for three months. When I came back one of my aunts came with me because they did not want me to travel alone.

When I got home I could only sit up for a couple of hours because my back would get really sore. I finally got into Wascana for therapy so I could learn how to transfer again.

My dad died in 1984 of a heart attack so my sisters talked my Mom into moving to Weyburn. But, when they were looking for an apartment they could not find one with an elevator. But, there was one being built and it wasn't going to be finished until spring. So, my mom and I spent the winter on the farm. I lived with her for three years.

Then, I moved to Cheshire homes in Regina, where I have lived for almost 10 years. After I moved I decided I wanted to go back to school to get my grade 12. I started going to Robertson Career College but the classes were only on Saturdays and it was a very long day.

Then, I ended up in the hospital with an ulcer on my back, which I ended up having to have plastic surgery on. But for some reason the skin graft disappeared so they had to do another one. I went home just two weeks before Christmas. When I went home I had to lie down in the afternoon because my back wasn't quite healed yet. The day I went into the hospital I found out that Robertson Career College was closing. I was not happy because that was where I was trying to get my grade 12.

I ended up in the hospital about a year later with another ulcer on my back. This time I was in the hospital for three months. When I got out I had to lie down because my sore was not healed yet. Then I got some help and found a SIAST that had a program called the Learning Centre where you can learn at your own pace. I have been going there for about four years. But, now they charge $1.20 an hour. So now I only go on Saturdays because they don't charge any money. It probably will take a long time to get my grade 12.