Radiation therapist awarded for going above and beyond

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/12/2023 (988 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the highest honours within the Manitoba medical radiation profession has been awarded to a Westman radiation therapist for her excellence at work and for the contributions she makes to non-profit organizations.

Sharla Bouchard is a radiation therapist at the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre (WMCC) and was recently recognized by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Therapists in Manitoba (CAMRT-MB).

“I actually got the email on my birthday from the CAMRT-MB notifying me that I had been the successful recipient,” Bouchard said.

“I’m one of those people who prefers being in the background, but I knew it had to be one of my co-workers who nominated me, so it was kind of a guessing game. I kept it quiet for a bit, but I started questioning people, ‘Have you been busy?’” Bouchard said as she laughed at the memory.

The award Bouchard received not only recognizes excellence in the field of radiation technology but illustrates the importance of how a person shows care and compassion with those in their community.

It’s the Bill Doern Service Award — created in 1979 and named after a remarkable and influential Manitoban who lived to be 101 years old, at the time of his death in 2003.

Doern developed the first mobile X-ray van for the early detection of tuberculosis, because years earlier, in the early 1920s, he was a tuberculosis patient at the Ninette Sanatorium.

In 1932, Doern became the chief technologist at Winnipeg General Hospital, which is now the Health Sciences Centre.

Then, in co-operation with the CNIB, he hired people who were visually impaired to work in the darkroom processing films, which opened many doors for employment at X-ray departments across the country.

For his contributions, Doern received the Canadian Centennial Medal for “valuable service to the nation” in 1967 as well as the service award in his name with CAMRT-MB.

The co-worker who nominated Bouchard is Tynnille Chomenchuk, one of six team members in the radiation department at WMCC, who said, “Sharla is a dedicated volunteer, and when she finds there’s a need for improvement, she’s ambitious to search for solutions.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bouchard and her husband started an initiative to make sure those who had financial challenges would have something to eat, added Chomenchuk.

The program was called “Everyone Eats,” a pay-what-you-can meal service. Sharla and her husband delivered meals, promoted the program, and made sure the funds went directly to where they should go.

When the Everyone Eats program ended, the focus shifted to creating the Food Rescue store in Brandon, which salvages food products that are rejected from grocery stores and sold at a discounted price.

“Sharla can be found unloading trucks and organizing the freezers,” Chomenchuk said.

If being humble was one of the requirements of winning the Doern service award, Bouchard would be overqualified.

She is quick to downplay her accomplishments within the community, which include the position of treasurer on the board of the Women’s Resource Centre in Brandon, said Shelley Wray, board chair.

“When somebody shows you who they are, believe them,” Wray said.

“Sharla is brilliant, and she has this real sense of social justice as in how things should be, and if they aren’t, she’s going to respond.

“So, if something happens that’s unfair, she gets really cross and you know that first of all, she’s going to get something changed. She believes our clients, her patients and even animals should be treated in a certain way.

“Sharla and her husband Ted gather up all the stray cats in Douglas and have them spayed and neutered. She is the most interesting person I have ever met,” said Wray.

Bouchard chuckled as she talked about how she has “turned into a total softy” for cats, especially since she was a “dog person” until she met her husband, Ted Dzogan, who is board chair of the John Howard Society of Brandon.

“There was actually a stray animal problem out where we live,” Bouchard said. “So, we took it upon ourselves to live-trap the strays and we work with Wheat City Vet Clinic. When we capture them, we bring them in to get vetted for any obvious medical issues and get them fixed.

“If they’re too wild, we release them, but most of all try to rehome them, which is why I have seven cats,” Bouchard said as she laughed.

“But basically, we recognized there was a problem in our small community, and we help people with pets who are in need of assistance.”

As she talked about her work as lead radiation therapist, Bouchard complimented her co-workers at WMCC. “We are a small but mighty team here made up of very intelligent individuals who are very highly motivated, and we take pride in servicing Brandon and the rural communities of Manitoba.”

The WMCC is the only cancer treatment centre located outside of Winnipeg that provides radiation therapy treatments and chemotherapy services, and it houses the only above-ground radiation treatment unit in the province.

The profession called out to her, said Bouchard, who was always good at sciences in school and wanted to work in the medical field because of her grandmother.

“I had a grandmother who was ill, suffering from cancer, and we took care of her in our home, and I enjoyed just taking care of her and then other people after that. So, it started with her. Plus, I was strong in physics, which is what this is all about. Radiation therapy combines the two.”

During the awards ceremony in Winnipeg, Bouchard wasn’t required to give a thank-you speech, which she said she was grateful for, but added that she appreciates the recognition by her team member.

“It’s what drives you to give back to your community, the patients that you see. So, when I think of it that way, I am very proud that this is the reason I received it — for being part of my community — because the patients we see make my day and my work so meaningful.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele