Latest / Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam / A Coffee With Trina and Neil Merkel!

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A Coffee With Trina and Neil Merkel! · Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam

• 0:00
  Hi, my name is Trina Merkel, and I'm here with my husband, Neil, and you are listening to Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam.
• 0:16
  Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome to another edition of Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam, and I'm Cam, and you're?
• 0:22
  Well, I'm hoping I'm Jennifer.
• 0:23
  We've never said that before, actually.
• 0:25
  We've never, I've never said I'm Cam, and you're Jennifer.
• 0:28
  Why did you decide to say that today?
• 0:29
  Because I think people might get confused sometimes.
• 0:32
  As to who's who.
• 0:33
  When we're up in public, it happens all the time.
• 0:37
  You know, can I just say though, there is more public sightings.
• 0:40
  Have you noticed that?
• 0:40
  I sure have.
• 0:41
  I've had people say to me, are you the guy from Coffee In The Park?
• 0:44
  I know.
• 0:44
  And I'm wondering how they know that.
• 0:45
  Cause we don't do video.
• 0:47
  We just do audio.
• 0:48
  Is it time for security detail?
• 0:50
  I think yeah. Soon.
• 0:51
  Those guys who talk to their thumbs, they need to be around us all the time.
• 0:54
  But anyway, hey, we're coming to you live from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson.
• 1:01
  So if you hear some noises in the background, coffee machines whirring, people talking, kids, no.
• 1:07
  You know, there's less and less kids now that school has started.
• 1:10
  Well, I would hope they're not skipping school to come to the Wall Coffee Roasters.
• 1:13
  They might, you never know.
• 1:13
  Cause last week you pushed the new flavors or the new drinks.
• 1:17
  I did the fall drinks.
• 1:18
  Yeah. Yes.
• 1:18
  And I thought maybe the, yeah, anyway, you know, but so I'm just saying it's live here in the coffee shop.
• 1:24
  So if you hear noise, that's why we like doing that.
• 1:27
  People say go into a studio.
• 1:28
  That's so sanitized.
• 1:30
  Oh, santized. There's a word, eh?
• 1:32
  Hey, word of the week, sanitized.
• 1:35
  And so, we should start the word of the week.
• 1:38
  Well, I did remember levity.
• 1:40
  Levity was your word. We need a little more levity.
• 1:41
  A little more levity in life.
• 1:43
  Word of the year.
• 1:44
  Word of the year.
• 1:45
  We're not going a whole year. Well we could.
• 1:46
  Because sometimes I have good words.
• 1:48
  Anyway, nonetheless, we're here.
• 1:50
  And we also want to let you know that we are brought to you by Wing Snob Canada.
• 1:54
  Where the wings are fresh, never frozen, 16 different flavors, 4 rubs.
• 1:59
  And they have parm fries and they have cornbread.
• 2:02
  And you know what else they have?
• 2:03
  We never talk about.
• 2:04
  We should talk about this because there are people, believe it or not, who do not eat meat.
• 2:09
  Did you know that?
• 2:11
  No, I was serious. No I do.
• 2:12
  I heard about this the other day.
• 2:13
  So at Wing Snob, they have cauliflower things.
• 2:17
  No, because I eat meat.
• 2:18
  But I'm just saying.
• 2:19
  But for those who say, no, I can't go to Wing Snob because I don't eat chicken, they have vegetarian options. They have vegetarian options, yes they do.
• 2:26
  So hey, Wing Snob, 10 locations, 8 in Edmonton, 1 in Calgary.
• 2:30
  Again, I do this. You do the point.
• 2:31
  I always point. Again not on video.
• 2:33
  Like everybody can see me point. People can't see him pointing to Calgary.
• 2:34
  There's Calgary.
• 2:35
  I was in Calgary on the weekend.
• 2:37
  I didn't go to Wing Snob.
• 2:38
  No offense, Mike.
• 2:39
  And one in Grande Prairie.
• 2:40
  And so hey, if you don't know what to do for dinner tonight, and the kids are, you know what's back in?
• 2:44
  Well, you know this because hockey and all that, you know hockey moms and you're in a rush, don't know what to do.
• 2:49
  Don't go to Wing Snob, get wings, take them to the kids, eat them in the car, and then go play hockey.
• 2:53
  We actually go to Wing Snob quite frequently during hockey season. You do, don't you. Yes we do.
• 2:56
  So, hey, check it out, Wing Snob, and I know you won't be disappointed because as Jennifer said, they are fresh, never frozen.
• 3:03
  Hey, it's a beautiful sunny day here in Acheson.
• 3:06
  It's a crisp, I'm saying it, it's fall.
• 3:09
  I declared that last week that it was fall, even though not officially.
• 3:12
  You declared it, that makes it.
• 3:14
  So, you're right though, it is, it's fall.
• 3:16
  And the leaves, some of the leaves are starting to turn, not all.
• 3:20
  I was driving from Calgary to Edmonton on the weekend, and there were leaves turning.
• 3:24
  But I have a question.
• 3:25
  There's my, you know this, you grew up on a farm.
• 3:27
  I have a question.
• 3:28
  Is it true that when the cows are laying, are sitting on the ground, it's gonna rain?
• 3:33
  I don't know if I believe that.
• 3:35
  You're my farm expert.
• 3:37
  Cows are just gonna do what cows are gonna do.
• 3:39
  Yeah.
• 3:39
  Oh, cause there was a lot of cows laying on the ground. It didn't rain.
• 3:42
  I don't think cows have high intelligence.
• 3:44
  I don't think.
• 3:45
  Don't underestimate a cow.
• 3:47
  He knows.
• 3:48
  Have you ever done cow tipping?
• 3:49
  No.
• 3:50
  I did.
• 3:50
  It's not true.
• 3:51
  It doesn't work.
• 3:51
  I tried, we pushed and pushed that cow.
• 3:54
  He would not go over for love nor money, but I'm just saying cows are, don't underestimate them there.
• 3:58
  I think they're smarter than we give them credit for.
• 4:00
  Well, maybe.
• 4:01
  Yeah.
• 4:01
  Anyway, enough of that.
• 4:03
  So it is fall and we're excited about that.
• 4:05
  I think.
• 4:06
  I am not.
• 4:06
  But anyway, cause it means winter is coming.
• 4:10
  Which we won't talk about.
• 4:11
  Do you know that the heater went on and my furnace went on this morning?
• 4:15
  Well, I had frost last night.
• 4:17
  I know.
• 4:17
  Zero.
• 4:18
  My furnace went on.
• 4:19
  I didn't like it.
• 4:19
  Anyway, enough of that.
• 4:22
  It's time to move on.
• 4:23
  I'm droning on anyway.
• 4:26
  But cause I'm really excited about today's guest. So am I.
• 4:28
  I am super excited about today's guest for many, many reasons.
• 4:32
  And we'll talk about all of them.
• 4:34
  And so, hey, let's just get into it.
• 4:36
  Do what you do.
• 4:36
  Introduce them.
• 4:37
  Hey, so this, well, it started with knowing one of the guests because we've been involved with her for the Christmas campaign Toy Drive for many years.
• 4:47
  The Kinettes.
• 4:47
  Yes.
• 4:48
  That's right.
• 4:49
  Here in Acheson, we raise like a bucket load of toys and money and gift cards for the Kinettes.
• 4:56
  Correct.
• 4:56
  Yes, we do.
• 4:57
  Every Christmas time.
• 4:58
  Every and it's coming up.
• 5:00
  I know we've got to think about it though because we do it in November.
• 5:03
  I know.
• 5:03
  And you and I both said today that in November, we're going to talk about it every day on the podcast.
• 5:08
  And we got some brilliant ideas as to how people can support marginalized families underprivileged kids with toys.
• 5:15
  That's right.
• 5:16
  And money and gift cards.
• 5:18
  We'll get to that.
• 5:18
  We'll get to that in November.
• 5:19
  Yeah.
• 5:20
  So I am super excited to introduce today Trina and Neil Merkel.
• 5:26
  So welcome both of you.
• 5:27
  Welcome to the podcast.
• 5:28
  Thank you so much for having us.
• 5:29
  Good to have you.
• 5:30
  Man, this is great to have you here.
• 5:31
  We don't often have a couple.
• 5:33
  I love it when we have couples, don't you?
• 5:35
  I love it when we have couples.
• 5:36
  I know.
• 5:36
  There's something about that.
• 5:38
  We should have more couples, but today we have a great couple.
• 5:41
  So we're going to give it up.
• 5:42
  We're going to start it off where we always do.
• 5:45
  And I'm going to ask each of you the same question.
• 5:48
  So I know.
• 5:49
  You didn't tell me about this.
• 5:51
  It's not a trick question.
• 5:52
  No, I need to know where you both were born and grew up.
• 5:57
  And Neil, we'll start with you.
• 5:59
  I was born in Edmonton, but I grew up in Sherwood Park.
• 6:02
  Oh, I know.
• 6:05
  The rival city.
• 6:08
  The rival city of Sherwood Park.
• 6:11
  And I was born and raised in Spruce Grove.
• 6:14
  So yes, I know.
• 6:16
  In Spruce Grove?
• 6:17
  Well, I was born in a hospital in the city, but I lived my life in Spruce Grove all my life.
• 6:23
  That's pretty cool.
• 6:24
  Yeah.
• 6:24
  So it's a pretty easy thing.
• 6:25
  Because when we met, we actually met in Calgary.
• 6:28
  Right.
• 6:28
  It's where we first met.
• 6:29
  And I said, like as it continued on, I said, like, just so you know, I'm never leaving Spruce Grove.
• 6:34
  If that's the deal breaker Like we can just end it right now.
• 6:37
  So I put out there early.
• 6:38
  If he wasn't moving to Spruce.
• 6:39
  It wasn't going to happen.
• 6:40
  No, and Spruce is a happening place.
• 6:42
  It is.
• 6:42
  Sort of, kind of.
• 6:43
  It's growing.
• 6:44
  Yeah, no, it is growing.
• 6:45
  I remember when it turned to 10,000 people and became a city.
• 6:47
  All right.
• 6:48
  Neil, what high school did you go to?
• 6:50
  Archbishop Jordan, Catholic High School.
• 6:52
  Archbishop.
• 6:53
  Oh, Archbishop.
• 6:53
  He might be our first guest from Archbishop.
• 6:55
  I don't think we've ever had an Archbishop on.
• 6:57
  Okay.
• 6:58
  Trina?
• 6:59
  St.
• 6:59
  Marguerite.
• 7:00
  It is now a K to 4 school, but back then it was the high school.
• 7:04
  That's right.
• 7:04
  Yeah. Back in the good old days.
• 7:05
  I remember when we met in Calgary, that Trina thought I was witty, funny, handsome.
• 7:13
  Okay, okay, this is my...
• 7:14
  Tell us, how did you meet?
• 7:15
  Tell us the story of how you met.
• 7:16
  I was actually at a wedding, my best friend's wedding and her best friend's wedding.
• 7:20
  They both were getting married and I was best man.
• 7:26
  So, I told a couple of funny stories and she thought I was pretty funny, like I said.
• 7:33
  Actually, it's funny, we did meet formally.
• 7:36
  We kind of started talking to each other on the dance floor.
• 7:39
  So you asked her to dance?
• 7:41
  No.
• 7:41
  No?
• 7:42
  You cut in?
• 7:43
  You cut in on somebody?
• 7:45
  No, she found out I couldn't dance at all.
• 7:47
  And that is still true today.
• 7:51
  It's okay, neither can I.
• 7:52
  So, okay.
• 7:53
  So you met at the wedding.
• 7:54
  Was it love at first sight?
• 7:57
  Was it a couple of drinks in at first sight?
• 7:59
  Couple of drinks in? Well it's a wedding! I know.
• 8:02
  Well, you know, it's a long day when you're part of a wedding. Yeah, no you're right.
• 8:05
  Yeah, it's a long day.
• 8:06
  We had a few bevies.
• 8:07
  Yeah.
• 8:08
  Yeah. We just.
• 8:09
  But it was in Calgary.
• 8:10
  It was in Calgary and we just got to know each other from there and it was just a...
• 8:15
  So he came back home to Sherwood Park.
• 8:17
  He went to Sherwood Park.
• 8:18
  I went to Spruce Grove.
• 8:19
  Who called who first?
• 8:20
  Oh, good question.
• 8:22
  So this is so funny.
• 8:23
  Actually, I called him, Cam.
• 8:25
  Oh.
• 8:27
  Trina, good for you.
• 8:28
  It was probably a couple of weeks after the wedding.
• 8:30
  Yeah.
• 8:31
  And then I didn't hear from him for a couple of weeks.
• 8:33
  He wasn't calling back, so I thought, he's done.
• 8:35
  Guys.
• 8:36
  Next.
• 8:36
  And then all of a sudden, out of the blue, he called.
• 8:39
  Oh, okay.
• 8:39
  And then, yeah.
• 8:40
  So just to add to it.
• 8:43
  He gonna have a reason why.
• 8:44
  Because the guy always has to add something.
• 8:46
  I tried phoning her, but I always got her answering machine.
• 8:50
  Oh, that's a complete lie right there.
• 8:52
  Did you leave a message or no? She's like not true.
• 8:54
  No, I was too shy.
• 8:55
  Yeah.
• 8:55
  See, I'm like you.
• 8:55
  I wouldn't leave a message.
• 8:57
  No, I wouldn't do that.
• 8:58
  So you did the right thing.
• 8:59
  No, actually, it was love at first sight, but it was more in the sense that Trina is a wonderful person.
• 9:05
  She's very outgoing, talkative, and I'm kind of the opposite.
• 9:09
  I'm quieter.
• 9:10
  Yeah.
• 9:11
  Takes a lot to pull him out sometimes.
• 9:13
  Yeah, yeah.
• 9:13
  No, yeah.
• 9:14
  Just a little encouragement.
• 9:15
  Definitely attracted to her personality.
• 9:17
  The yin and yang, you know, it all has to work, right?
• 9:20
  So you started dating?
• 9:21
  Yeah.
• 9:22
  Long distance dating, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove.
• 9:23
  Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove For our listeners who don't know, because we have listeners all over the place, Sherwood Park is, well, what is it now?
• 9:31
  It is a city.
• 9:32
  No, it's not.
• 9:33
  It's a hamlet.
• 9:34
  It's a hamlet.
• 9:34
  No, it's not a hamlet.
• 9:36
  It's the largest hamlet.
• 9:37
  Really?
• 9:38
  There's trivia for the day, Cam.
• 9:40
  That, no, I would never, okay, but regardless.
• 9:43
  So it's like, by the Henday, well, they didn't have the Henday in those days.
• 9:48
  How long would it take you to get from Sherwood Park to Spruce Grove?
• 9:51
  About probably 45 minutes.
• 9:53
  Okay, so yeah, so yeah.
• 9:55
  So you drove, yeah.
• 9:57
  Okay, so yeah, so just the point is to our listeners who are geographically not understanding.
• 10:02
  It's really not that far.
• 10:03
  Edmonton's in between.
• 10:05
  There's Sherwood Park, Edmonton, Spruce Grove.
• 10:07
  Correct.
• 10:08
  Yes, that's right.
• 10:08
  Yeah, you got it right.
• 10:10
  And you would always come to Spruce.
• 10:11
  Pretty much. Yep.
• 10:12
  Good for you.
• 10:13
  That's a good guy thing.
• 10:14
  No, that's a good guy thing.
• 10:15
  He did the driving.
• 10:16
  Yeah.
• 10:16
  No, that's, that's, that's a good.
• 10:18
  See, it's chivalry.
• 10:19
  I might, I shouldn't say, oh, I was going to say my daughter had a boyfriend in another city and he always made her drive and they broke up.
• 10:28
  So anyway, that's a good thing because that's not.
• 10:30
  Well, we're still together.
• 10:31
  So I guess, I guess it's worked.
• 10:33
  Because he did that because he was the man of the relationship.
• 10:35
  There you go.
• 10:36
  Okay, good.
• 10:38
  We got that covered.
• 10:38
  Very good man.
• 10:39
  Yeah, very good man.
• 10:40
  Okay.
• 10:40
  Yeah, I know.
• 10:41
  So after high school, Neil, what did you want to do with your life?
• 10:46
  Like what was your aspiration?
• 10:48
  To go to university because my best friends went.
• 10:51
  I like that.
• 10:52
  I'm just going cause my friends went too.
• 10:53
  Not because mom and dad told me to, but my best friends.
• 10:55
  It's a good influence, right?
• 10:56
  So I'm going.
• 10:57
  I like that.
• 10:57
  Peer pressure.
• 10:58
  You heard about the university party life, right?
• 11:00
  Yeah.
• 11:02
  I had to check it out.
• 11:03
  Okay.
• 11:03
  I don't know if you're as quiet as you're making yourself out to be here.
• 11:06
  But anyway, what did you study?
• 11:08
  I took forestry at U of A.
• 11:09
  Did you really?
• 11:10
  Yeah.
• 11:10
  And how long did that last for, honey?
• 11:13
  I completed the degree.
• 11:15
  And then how long did you work in the industry?
• 11:17
  I worked in the field for about two years.
• 11:18
  Yeah. Okay, that's pretty good.
• 11:19
  I found out that I didn't want to live in a small town.
• 11:21
  That's fair.
• 11:23
  It's pretty isolated.
• 11:24
  But actually, in all honesty, the market or the industry took a downturn.
• 11:31
  So I ended up going back to school.
• 11:33
  I went to NAIT and took Mechanical Engineering.
• 11:35
  And I ended up working with close friends of mine for my entire career, basically.
• 11:41
  Wow.
• 11:42
  Okay.
• 11:43
  Forestry to Engineering.
• 11:44
  I know.
• 11:45
  That's pretty cool.
• 11:45
  Yeah.
• 11:46
  And I made him stay in Sherwood Park.
• 11:48
  So he was close.
• 11:49
  Trina, you graduated.
• 11:50
  What did you do?
• 11:52
  I graduated and I just worked for a few years.
• 11:55
  Just wanted to make some money and get on my own.
• 11:58
  I was pretty independent and then I realized, okay, I need to go into school.
• 12:03
  So I actually took travel to be honest.
• 12:05
  Did you?
• 12:05
  I did.
• 12:06
  At Grant MacEwan.
• 12:06
  You're a travel agent.
• 12:07
  Well, I was.
• 12:09
  I make fun of- Trina, I didn't know this about you.
• 12:11
  I know.
• 12:12
  In all these decades, Jen.
• 12:13
  I'm booking my flights with you from now on.
• 12:14
  Because you know why?
• 12:16
  That's why I laugh at Neil being in the industry for such a short period of time.
• 12:19
  Well, so was I.
• 12:20
  Yeah, that's right.
• 12:21
  You know. You've been given him a hard time.
• 12:23
  Tell him where you worked.
• 12:24
  So, well, for what?
• 12:26
  He makes fun of me because I worked for a summer in High Level doing travel. No you didn't! Did you really?
• 12:30
  Because they were looking for somebody for the summer time to give this lady like, time off because she had worked for like 10 years straight basically.
• 12:37
  And then he wanted a second year student.
• 12:39
  I was only a first year.
• 12:39
  I thought, well, why not?
• 12:42
  So I went out there and I gained so much experience.
• 12:44
  It was a small northern town or whatever.
• 12:46
  Yeah, High Level is way up there.
• 12:47
  Yeah.
• 12:48
  But then it was hard on the industry.
• 12:49
  Same thing, industry changed.
• 12:50
  They started capping commissions.
• 12:52
  And I did a lot of corporate travel, so you made lots of commission.
• 12:55
  And my kids are small, it's hard.
• 12:58
  And it's evenings and weekends.
• 12:59
  And so I changed my path.
• 13:01
  And you came back to the Grove?
• 13:03
  Well, I was only four months.
• 13:05
  I was only four months in High Level.
• 13:08
  Listen, I was born in Grande Prairie.
• 13:10
  You can't stay very long in that area.
• 13:12
  There ain't a lot to do up there.
• 13:13
  But anyway.
• 13:13
  No offense.
• 13:14
  We don't want mail.
• 13:15
  No, I'm proud of where I was born.
• 13:17
  I moved when I was two, but that's how that went.
• 13:19
  But anyway, yeah.
• 13:20
  Okay.
• 13:20
  So you moved back.
• 13:21
  So I moved back.
• 13:22
  Yeah.
• 13:23
  And then went to the wedding, met Neil.
• 13:25
  Yeah, pretty much.
• 13:26
  Yeah.
• 13:27
  And how long did you date for till Neil popped the question?
• 13:30
  Three years, I think.
• 13:31
  Three years.
• 13:32
  Yeah.
• 13:33
  Okay.
• 13:33
  Three years before he popped the question.
• 13:35
  Okay.
• 13:36
  Yeah.
• 13:36
  And then you got married.
• 13:37
  Then we got married.
• 13:38
  How long have you been married?
• 13:40
  Twenty-two years coming up. Twenty-two years.
• 13:43
  Yeah.
• 13:43
  I was gonna say twenty-five.
• 13:47
  I think it's just twenty-two.
• 13:48
  That's always the best question.
• 13:50
  How long have you been married? Let me think.
• 13:51
  I don't know.
• 13:51
  Let me think.
• 13:52
  I had to calculate the kids' ages.
• 13:54
  I love the way he looked at her and said, I thought it was twenty-five.
• 13:58
  And she thinks it's twenty-two.
• 13:59
  Hey, Cam, if it's twenty-five, that's a big anniversary.
• 14:01
  There may be a big trip plan now, right?
• 14:03
  You need to plan the trip.
• 14:04
  That's right.
• 14:06
  Oh, Neil, now you're in trouble.
• 14:08
  Big event coming up here pretty quick.
• 14:10
  Well, that should be cool.
• 14:12
  So you were engineering.
• 14:15
  Yeah.
• 14:15
  And you were- So I was still in a little bit in the travel, then I worked at ICON Office Solutions, just ran their data center there for a bit.
• 14:24
  And then when Joshua was born, he was born with autism.
• 14:29
  So just took- Yeah. It became.
• 14:32
  Full time.
• 14:32
  Yeah.
• 14:33
  A full time job as a mom.
• 14:34
  And then I just waitress in the evenings actually, because I still needed that adult interaction.
• 14:39
  So I just, yeah.
• 14:40
  Wow.
• 14:41
  And then- Where did you waitress?
• 14:42
  At Peter's Pizza and Steak.
• 14:43
  Oh, Peter's Pizza.
• 14:44
  You know Peter's Pizza?
• 14:45
  Oh, that's just- Everybody knows Peter's Pizza.
• 14:48
  Is it still there today?
• 14:49
  No.
• 14:49
  No, it's gone?
• 14:50
  Oh, no, no.
• 14:51
  It was a Grove legend.
• 14:53
  It was.
• 14:53
  Yeah.
• 14:54
  Yeah.
• 14:54
  The best pizza ever.
• 14:56
  Many years there, just waitressing.
• 14:57
  And I loved it, because I loved to chat with people and see friends coming in, just the regulars.
• 15:02
  So yeah.
• 15:03
  And then- I know.
• 15:05
  All right.
• 15:05
  So Neil, you said you worked- after school with friends.
• 15:11
  What's that dynamic like when you're working with friends?
• 15:14
  Because someone over here also works with his best friend.
• 15:18
  Yeah, my best friend.
• 15:18
  I work for him.
• 15:19
  Yeah.
• 15:20
  Yeah.
• 15:20
  It's definitely interesting.
• 15:23
  If you're listening, Wes.
• 15:24
  Listen carefully.
• 15:25
  Okay.
• 15:25
  Yeah.
• 15:26
  No, I love them to death.
• 15:28
  They're like brothers to me.
• 15:32
  But you definitely get to know the inside of the family.
• 15:37
  Like you get to see the family squabbles and the fights, and it's pretty crazy.
• 15:45
  You can relate, hey Cam.
• 15:46
  I'm not saying nothing.
• 15:48
  I just think Neil and I should go for coffee after.
• 15:52
  But you do learn that you keep friendship separate from business.
• 15:56
  Yeah.
• 15:56
  Friendship stays outside of the business, out in the street, and we always had that understanding.
• 16:01
  But we were like a brotherhood, we had a trust.
• 16:05
  Yeah.
• 16:05
  And that was part of what formed the group, is we were so close growing up that we just bought friends in.
• 16:11
  And you might think, well, that's not the right way to do it, but it ended up turning out to be very successful.
• 16:16
  Yeah, I agree.
• 16:17
  Yeah.
• 16:17
  Because you know the person, right?
• 16:20
  Yeah.
• 16:20
  And you know you can trust them, you know you can count on them, they're going to go the mile for you.
• 16:24
  And the same way vice versa for my friends that own the business.
• 16:29
  I knew that they would always be there for me and help me out.
• 16:32
  If they treat me more than just as a business partner, they treat me as family.
• 16:35
  Right.
• 16:36
  Yeah.
• 16:36
  I concur.
• 16:37
  You can concur to that 100%.
• 16:39
  100%.
• 16:40
  Yeah.
• 16:40
  Cool.
• 16:41
  And how long you worked for them?
• 16:43
  It's 22 years.
• 16:45
  Wow.
• 16:46
  Yeah.
• 16:47
  Cool.
• 16:47
  Yeah.
• 16:48
  Basically right up until I got my diagnosis for Parkinson's.
• 16:51
  Right.
• 16:52
  All right.
• 16:52
  So let's switch to that.
• 16:54
  Let's talk about that a little bit.
• 16:55
  And yeah.
• 16:56
  So tell us about that.
• 16:58
  Tell us about that.
• 16:59
  Sort of where that, how that all started and the journey of that.
• 17:03
  So I started having symptoms.
• 17:05
  I noticed a tremor in my hand, in my right hand, in October of 2021.
• 17:12
  And we kind of went through going to the family doctor and asked them, you know, what he gave his diagnosis and basically said it was essential tremors.
• 17:20
  There's nothing to worry about.
• 17:21
  Don't worry.
• 17:22
  Nothing serious.
• 17:23
  He gave me some different meds for it and it didn't do anything.
• 17:26
  So we kept going back and going back.
• 17:28
  And about a year later, finally, it was maybe eight months or a year.
• 17:33
  There's Trina said, okay, there's something more to this.
• 17:37
  I went to the doctors and I just said, I'm not leaving until we get something further.
• 17:40
  I said, because it's not getting better.
• 17:43
  She was a nice way she said it.
• 17:44
  She actually never told him.
• 17:46
  I just said, it's not getting better.
• 17:48
  It's been eight months. Good for you though.
• 17:49
  And this tremor is constant now.
• 17:51
  It's not brought on by stress that you said.
• 17:53
  It's brought on by and it was just like, and because he was wasn't traveling for work as much, I noticed obviously more because I didn't notice it the year before as much because he traveled so much for work and he did a good job of hiding a lot of things, right?
• 18:06
  Like you don't want it to be seen at first.
• 18:08
  So Neil, that's a good point.
• 18:09
  So how, how were you feeling?
• 18:11
  Is it, you knew, did you know or sense something was wrong?
• 18:16
  I honestly, when I got the diagnosis, I was actually blown away.
• 18:20
  I didn't, you don't think it, you think it happens to someone else always, right?
• 18:24
  It doesn't happen to you.
• 18:26
  And the first thing I thought was what's, like anyone's going to think is how's this going to impact the rest of my life?
• 18:31
  Yeah.
• 18:32
  Am I, how long am I going to live?
• 18:34
  How fast are the symptoms going to, how fast is the onset going to happen?
• 18:38
  Right.
• 18:39
  And it was actually Trina that she, she gave the meaning to, a new meaning to caregiver.
• 18:45
  She was my rock and my, she was the person that carried me for the first little while and basically told me, look, there's, you need to get into this.
• 18:54
  She found an exercise class online.
• 18:57
  It's called the Buchanan Centre, where I've met, I basically got into the Parkinson's community through that exercise class.
• 19:04
  Yeah.
• 19:05
  And she's like, you got to move on.
• 19:06
  You got, there's more to life.
• 19:09
  How old were you when you were diagnosed?
• 19:12
  I would have been 40, 48, 49 now. Turning 48.
• 19:16
  So you would have been, that would have been considered young onset.
• 19:19
  Yes, under 50s, young onset.
• 19:22
  I told him when we got to, I'll never forget, we're leaving the K clinic and we're in the car and he was in disbelief.
• 19:28
  And I was like, oh, finally, we have an answer.
• 19:29
  I kind of thought it was.
• 19:31
  Just like when our son was diagnosed with autism, I'm like, oh, that's perfect.
• 19:33
  And the doctor was like, that's perfect?
• 19:35
  And I said, well, I know what it is, and I can work with it. Now you know.
• 19:37
  You know, yeah. You can work with it, deal with it.
• 19:37
  And so I said, you know what?
• 19:39
  I said, there's worse diagnosis in this world.
• 19:42
  You could be dying tomorrow.
• 19:43
  You're not.
• 19:44
  You have 24 hours to wallow in this.
• 19:46
  And I said, and in 24 hours, you're going to be starting out your new life.
• 19:51
  Wow.
• 19:51
  You're going to just, you have to have that mindset and go forward.
• 19:54
  And how, Neil, how did you feel?
• 19:56
  Where was your mind at when you heard the diagnosis?
• 19:59
  It's, yeah, it's like, I thought honestly, the first thing that popped in my head is I want to, am I going to have grandchildren?
• 20:05
  Am I going to be able to play with them?
• 20:07
  Am I going to be able to take them to the park?
• 20:09
  Yeah.
• 20:09
  And it turns out I can, because I have one.
• 20:11
  So.
• 20:11
  Yeah.
• 20:14
  And she takes Papa to the park every day.
• 20:17
  It was actually, it took me a while.
• 20:19
  Like I did a lot, spent a lot of time reading online.
• 20:23
  Right.
• 20:23
  And that's, that's, like you said, that's, that can be a rabbit hole.
• 20:26
  Totally.
• 20:27
  Yeah.
• 20:27
  There's so many conflicting websites and you know, some people, some people, some, some websites said, you live five years.
• 20:34
  Well, I knew that wasn't right.
• 20:36
  Right.
• 20:36
  You're still here.
• 20:37
  Yeah.
• 20:37
  Yeah.
• 20:38
  So then you, some, some websites will say you can live 20 years and you don't really know what to believe and what not to believe.
• 20:44
  Right.
• 20:45
  But I actually got into the movement disorders clinic at the down at the K clinic at the U of A.
• 20:49
  Oh, okay.
• 20:50
  And that's a specialized department for people with Parkinson's, for people with MS, for people basically who have chronic movement disorders.
• 20:59
  Right.
• 20:59
  Like this name says.
• 21:00
  And I met a physical therapist there.
• 21:04
  She's since retired, but she really hit home with me.
• 21:07
  She was a wonderful person, like an absolute godsend.
• 21:11
  Yeah.
• 21:12
  She looked at me, I'm going to never forget the first session I had with her.
• 21:15
  She looked at me and said, Neil, there's something missing.
• 21:18
  I can see it.
• 21:19
  There's something missing in your, in the way you're carrying yourself.
• 21:21
  Yeah.
• 21:22
  And she just basically went on and laid out a whole spiel for me.
• 21:25
  And she said, don't, I know I get it.
• 21:29
  You're kind of have a technical background, so you want to see the statistics, you want to see the numbers, but don't go based on that.
• 21:37
  Right.
• 21:38
  All you can do is live your life the best of your ability right now.
• 21:42
  Like don't spend your good years where you have good mobility, you have good functionality.
• 21:46
  Don't spend those years looking for answers and wallowing, like Trina said, wallowing in your, self-pity and just basically live your life.
• 21:56
  Go live today, go live each day.
• 21:58
  How old were your kids when you were diagnosed?
• 22:02
  So they were 16 and 25.
• 22:06
  So can I ask you a question on that?
• 22:08
  So how do you tell your kids?
• 22:12
  Obviously, you have to tell them.
• 22:14
  Oh yeah.
• 22:15
  You want to tell them.
• 22:15
  You want them to be a part of the journey.
• 22:18
  We were up front.
• 22:18
  And how did they respond to that?
• 22:20
  I think it was the same kind of thing.
• 22:22
  I think at first, obviously, they were kind of sad because they were worried about the same thing, like what does that mean for dad's life and his well-being?
• 22:29
  And then what does that mean for us?
• 22:31
  Are we not going to be able to do things anymore?
• 22:33
  But I think we just, same thing I said, it's just part of our next step in life and it's just part of what we live with.
• 22:40
  I said like, our son, Joshua, I probably has the most understanding because he has autism and he's functioning in society.
• 22:47
  Like he never talked till he was five, but you would never know he has autism.
• 22:50
  I'm like, you just, I think as long as you're positive about things and just go into life, you just keep moving forward.
• 22:56
  The biggest thing I remember, I'll never forget he asked me, he's like, dad, can we still golf together?
• 23:00
  Can we still ski together?
• 23:02
  He just wanted me to be part of his life still, right?
• 23:04
  Yeah.
• 23:05
  And I said, of course, as long as I can still move, I'm going to do whatever I can.
• 23:09
  So actually, I want to take a step back a little bit, and we talk about Parkinson's, but maybe just what is Parkinson's?
• 23:18
  Yeah, that's a good question.
• 23:19
  For people that don't quite understand what it is.
• 23:21
  It's a neurodegenerative disease.
• 23:24
  Basically, it deprives your body of dopamine.
• 23:27
  Your dopamine producing area of the brain, it slowly dies, and it can be a very long, drawn-out disease where you could live 20 years, 25 years with it.
• 23:38
  Right.
• 23:39
  But basically what it does is it takes away your motor skills.
• 23:42
  Oh, okay.
• 23:43
  Like your...
• 23:45
  It'll take away your mobility, it'll take away...
• 23:47
  Yeah.
• 23:48
  It can cause many different things in different people.
• 23:50
  Some people get stiffness from it, like rigidity.
• 23:53
  Some people get...
• 23:54
  It's called bradykinesia.
• 23:55
  Some people get just pure tremors.
• 24:01
  Some people get early dementia from it.
• 24:04
  It's a boutique...
• 24:05
  They call it a boutique disease.
• 24:06
  Right.
• 24:07
  It affects everyone differently.
• 24:08
  Yeah.
• 24:09
  I've read that there are 120,000 people in Canada who have Parkinson's.
• 24:14
  They think 10 million worldwide.
• 24:17
  So it's not like it's rare.
• 24:19
  No.
• 24:20
  It's out there.
• 24:20
  Yeah.
• 24:21
  And it's happening more and more.
• 24:22
  Probably the most famous, I guess, right now would be Michael J.
• 24:25
  Fox.
• 24:25
  Absolutely.
• 24:27
  Who's, you know...
• 24:27
  And he's lived a long life with it, which is great.
• 24:30
  Matter of fact, he was on the Emmys last night.
• 24:32
  I saw the clip of it.
• 24:33
  And yeah, he's 65, I think.
• 24:37
  65 years.
• 24:37
  I think he was in his early 30s or when he was diagnosed.
• 24:40
  So he's been living with us for a long, long time.
• 24:42
  So I think it's great.
• 24:44
  I think it's just...
• 24:45
  Unfortunately, like, I mean, we don't know what the outcome in the future is.
• 24:50
  But I think it's just...
• 24:52
  I always kind of said to him, I said, probably the best thing that happened in our life was him to get Parkinson's because we were just...
• 24:57
  A family that was always on the go, go, go, go, go all the time.
• 25:00
  So it made us stop. Wow, that's incredible.
• 25:02
  And think about, like, okay, we have to take a step back now, and what's important?
• 25:06
  Our health is important.
• 25:07
  Being with our family is important.
• 25:09
  Trina, that's incredible.
• 25:11
  What an amazing attitude.
• 25:12
  That's unbelievable.
• 25:13
  That's awesome.
• 25:14
  Well, it's just...
• 25:15
  It is just...
• 25:17
  I think it's just...
• 25:18
  I think we all get wake up calls at certain times in our life, and I think that was ours.
• 25:22
  And I mean, for Neil, the timing wise with work was good.
• 25:29
  He wasn't traveling as much with the kids, and the kids saw more.
• 25:32
  We have a granddaughter, she's just three.
• 25:34
  So, just spending those extra time with her, and just really taking a step back and...
• 25:39
  It changes perspective, doesn't it?
• 25:41
  Absolutely, it does.
• 25:42
  Yeah, it just kind of hits like a brick wall at first, and you're just like, okay, like we have this, and what's the reason why?
• 25:50
  That just blows my mind, because that's...
• 25:52
  What a fabulous attitude.
• 25:53
  Like really, like that's incredible.
• 25:56
  You never gave up, you never wallowed in it, you never, you just said, we're going to move forward and we're going to make this work and happen.
• 26:02
  And that's awesome.
• 26:03
  I mean, there is like, it's a roller coaster.
• 26:05
  Yeah, I'm sure.
• 26:06
  There definitely are some down times and there's...
• 26:08
  Do you want to talk a little bit, like what are the downtime?
• 26:11
  And the reason I asked some of these questions is because I know we're going to have listeners who are in the same situation. Who may be in the same boat.
• 26:17
  The reason I asked even about the kids, because how do we tell our kids or how do we deal with it with our kids?
• 26:23
  And yeah, so what were some of the, what were, or are, not were, are some of the down.
• 26:28
  The roller coasters, yeah.
• 26:30
  I think probably just, like I said, trying to figure out where to go next.
• 26:35
  Where do you go now?
• 26:36
  Like, what do I do with the rest of my life?
• 26:38
  Do I, I prioritize health, I prioritize family.
• 26:42
  Work's still important though, like it gives you purpose, right?
• 26:45
  So, where do I go?
• 26:48
  I kind of got stuck in that rut for a long time, and I think I still am a little bit.
• 26:52
  Yeah.
• 26:53
  It's like, what do I do with Parkinson's?
• 26:56
  I think when you live your life in like the same way for so long, it was almost 25 years, the same thing day in and day out.
• 27:05
  And so it was just, it all kind of happened, well, during COVID.
• 27:09
  So, everything kind of changed then, right?
• 27:11
  So, like I said, he was traveling lots, all of a sudden we're, everybody's at home, everybody was, I worked in the schools, and so we're teaching from home.
• 27:18
  And you're just like, it just changes everything.
• 27:20
  And then it was just, like he said, I think finding a new purpose is the hardest thing.
• 27:25
  Right.
• 27:26
  And it's just like, you have to just dip your feet into different pools of things just to try out and see if this is my, is this what I'm supposed to do now? Is this what i'm supposed to do now?
• 27:34
  I guess there's no book, is there?
• 27:36
  There's no book that tells you, and now, and now, and now.
• 27:40
  There's no cure, there's medication, there's medication that basically calms the side effects.
• 27:46
  I used to have a really bad tremor, but I'm on what's called levodopa, carbidopa, it's a medication that basically took that and calmed it down.
• 27:53
  There's no known cure, but they do know with 100% accuracy that exercise is very important.
• 28:01
  And I want to say that to all listeners.
• 28:03
  If anybody does, is listening and has Parkinson's, there's great hope in exercise.
• 28:10
  And it's what took me to the next level.
• 28:13
  It kind of got me moving forward, is joining that Buchanan Centre and working out twice a week, doing workouts at home, walking.
• 28:22
  You do boxing at the Avenue Boxing Club.
• 28:23
  They have one for Parkinson's specific.
• 28:26
  Does Tai Chi.
• 28:27
  Yeah, I do Tai Chi at the Parkland Tai Chi.
• 28:30
  Yeah.
• 28:31
  I think it's just important to find something that, it's just like if you don't use it, you're going to lose it.
• 28:35
  So if you're not moving and people say, well, and this is why I was just my whole like, you can wallow for 24 hours, but it's just like the whole, because if you get in that rut, and it's so easy once you stop, to never get going again.
• 28:47
  But I think if you just find your like, even if you're just going for a daily walk, and if it's only 10 or 15 minutes, and do 10 or 15 minutes, and do that three times a day, or do that after, you know.
• 28:58
  It takes a dark day and makes it positive.
• 29:01
  Yeah.
• 29:01
  Like really, like we said, it's easier said than done to be positive every day.
• 29:07
  Right.
• 29:07
  But when you hop on a bike and pump out 30 minutes of exercise, it definitely helps.
• 29:13
  It's therapeutic.
• 29:14
  What brings on a dark day?
• 29:16
  What?
• 29:16
  Well, probably one of the biggest things, I've had a lifelong is anxiety, and it's gotten worse with Parkinson's.
• 29:23
  Yeah.
• 29:23
  That's a typical trait of Parkinson's is to have higher anxiety.
• 29:28
  And it's just the worry.
• 29:30
  You worry about everything, right?
• 29:32
  Like I said, how long am I going to live?
• 29:33
  And you kind of go down the rabbit holes in the dark.
• 29:37
  There's no cure.
• 29:38
  Is there ever going to be a cure?
• 29:39
  Well, you can't worry about that stuff, right?
• 29:41
  Yeah.
• 29:41
  And I always said to him, like I said, to me, it's like the first thing, like when you wake up in the morning and you're laying in bed, you have that choice to figure out how you're going to live that day.
• 29:52
  So if you're already waking up with just some doubts or some, then just take that minute or two or three and just do some like positive thinking.
• 30:00
  Trina, do you recognize it in Neil right away when he's in those dark moments?
• 30:03
  Oh absolutely.
• 30:04
  You can see it.
• 30:04
  Yeah, it becomes really quiet all of a sudden.
• 30:09
  And I know he doesn't want me to worry about what he's worrying about.
• 30:11
  So he'll just be like, no, I'm good, I'm fine.
• 30:13
  I'm like, no, what is on your mind?
• 30:15
  What is holding you back?
• 30:16
  What is thinking?
• 30:17
  And I force it sometimes.
• 30:19
  Just because I know if you're in your own space sometimes, you need somebody to pull you out sometimes, right?
• 30:25
  So I think it's just like I might harp on him a little bit.
• 30:27
  It's like Neil said, you can go down that hole and the further down, yeah, the further you go down, the harder it is to get out of that hole. And it's easy to get stuck there right.
• 30:34
  So yeah.
• 30:35
  Not every morning can be Coffee In The Park.
• 30:37
  No, that's right.
• 30:39
  Trust me, not every morning is Coffee In The Park.
• 30:42
  That's guaranteed, Neil.
• 30:43
  That is guaranteed.
• 30:45
  Wow.
• 30:46
  This is incredible.
• 30:47
  And you know what?
• 30:47
  You talked about how you worked with your best friends.
• 30:53
  Now, how was it telling them that you have Parkinson's?
• 30:56
  Did they have any idea or was it a complete shock to them too?
• 31:00
  Because I think maybe working for your friends might be different having Parkinson's or having something you have to deal with.
• 31:06
  Let's say, an regular employer, where you have no connection. Who's just an employer.
• 31:10
  Yeah.
• 31:11
  No, they were absolute beauties.
• 31:12
  Yeah.
• 31:13
  They told me basically, the one brother told me, pack up your stuff and leave tomorrow if you want.
• 31:19
  We got this.
• 31:19
  But not in a bad way.
• 31:22
  Not, you're fired.
• 31:23
  You're out.
• 31:23
  No, no, no.
• 31:24
  Go take care of your health.
• 31:25
  Yeah.
• 31:25
  Don't worry about this.
• 31:26
  Go take care of your health.
• 31:27
  Even through it, they would always check in with me as well.
• 31:31
  They would see him at work and whatnot, and they would follow up with me like, okay, when's the next appointment?
• 31:37
  I remember when the doctor finally went for MRI of the brain, but that was just to rule out tumors or anything else that might be causing stuff.
• 31:45
  Yeah.
• 31:46
  It was during COVID, so I had to sit in the parking lot, but they were so supportive.
• 31:49
  They phoned during that appointment, okay, you're sitting probably outside, how are you feeling?
• 31:55
  They're just amazing people, right?
• 31:56
  It was just supportive all the way.
• 32:00
  It's a support system that you need.
• 32:02
  You do. Both of you needed.
• 32:02
  It was almost a blessing in disguise.
• 32:04
  I couldn't imagine working for someone else.
• 32:06
  It would have been hard working for, don't get me wrong, it's hard working with your best friend.
• 32:11
  But the other brother told me, he's like, I want you to go get checked out at the Mayo Clinic.
• 32:21
  Don't just take a local doctor's advice for it.
• 32:23
  This is what you should do.
• 32:25
  They were there the whole time, in stride with me saying, do this, do that.
• 32:30
  And it was good because sometimes at work, he might show a different anxiety.
• 32:34
  So I know that he found out that one brother was just like, he's worried that it may not be Parkinson's, it may be ALS because we had a couple ALS diagnoses that we knew.
• 32:44
  So he's like, here's the phone number, I told him to call the Mayo Clinic, and if you want to go get a second opinion, let's go.
• 32:52
  There's not, and so we did and it was great.
• 32:55
  And then it settled that whole, like okay, this is what I have for sure.
• 32:59
  You'll never get that support. Thats the bonus of working for your friends.
• 33:03
  Yeah, you would never get that, I don't think anywhere else.
• 33:06
  Well, I shouldn't say you wouldn't get that anywhere else, but it's very hard to find a compassion like that.
• 33:09
  Yeah, I know, yeah, because there's a personal investment there more than just a career investment.
• 33:15
  I was actually, it's hard because I was kind of afraid to tell them, right?
• 33:19
  You felt as if you're letting them down.
• 33:22
  If I leave, I let them down, right?
• 33:24
  They were the exact opposite.
• 33:26
  They said, like, what do you mean, letting us down?
• 33:28
  You worked nonstop for 22 years.
• 33:31
  You never went on holidays with your wife or family sometimes.
• 33:34
  Like, you know, this is your time.
• 33:36
  Yeah.
• 33:36
  Don't worry about us.
• 33:37
  You had our back for all this time.
• 33:38
  We've got your back now.
• 33:39
  So are you still working now or you're just retired?
• 33:43
  I'm basically retired.
• 33:45
  About five of us that left the company have a small investment company.
• 33:49
  Okay.
• 33:49
  Yeah.
• 33:50
  Just playing around.
• 33:51
  Yeah.
• 33:52
  Just to keep them busy, try to find some purpose. No absolutely.
• 33:55
  It is.
• 33:56
  How does Parkinson, because people I've known and even seeing like Michael J.
• 34:02
  Fox and all that, how does it affect the mind?
• 34:06
  Does it affect your thought process?
• 34:09
  Yes, it does.
• 34:12
  It's hard to explain it.
• 34:16
  Like I said, it heightens anxiety, but it causes confusion a little bit.
• 34:23
  Like you don't have as clear a thought process.
• 34:26
  And I remember one of the nurses or doctors at the movement disorders clinic said you'll have a harder time multitasking.
• 34:34
  And that's definitely, I noticed it.
• 34:36
  Like I used to be able to do a work, you'd be talking to someone and you'd be reading a computer screen, and you lose that ability.
• 34:45
  It takes your way.
• 34:47
  You'd be more focused on the task at hand.
• 34:50
  Definitely, yes.
• 34:51
  And then another friend of ours that has Parkinson's, he applies that at best too.
• 34:54
  He's just like, I really have to think out every movement that I do.
• 34:58
  Like it's just like a plan thing.
• 34:59
  Like he goes like, you and I, you would just get up and go grab another coffee or whatever.
• 35:05
  I'm sitting here thinking, okay, I got to move my legs over to the side.
• 35:08
  I got to stand up.
• 35:08
  I got to walk about 10 steps.
• 35:10
  This is Andy?
• 35:11
  Yeah.
• 35:11
  So then I just said it was just, it was amazing how he told us that very early on, probably within the first, actually, it was Frank's.
• 35:19
  I told Neil before he had Parkinson's diagnosis.
• 35:21
  I said, let's call him over because we're friends.
• 35:24
  He's like, why would you want to have him over?
• 35:25
  I don't have Parkinson's.
• 35:26
  And then the day later he goes, so do you want to have him over?
• 35:31
  I guess we have the same thing.
• 35:33
  But it was really neat to explain that to me as a caregiver, as a wife, he's going to have to think about every step sometimes.
• 35:40
  So it's not like he's ignoring you.
• 35:42
  He's just in a thought process of how he's going to process the next thing he's going to do kind of thing.
• 35:47
  This actually leads me in to the perfect question that I want to ask you, Trina.
• 35:51
  Yes.
• 35:51
  Because you are now in the role of caregiver, of wife, of mother, of volunteer extraordinaire.
• 36:01
  Because you are... Kinettes.
• 36:04
  What do you do for yourself?
• 36:06
  Yeah.
• 36:07
  That keeps you physically, emotionally, and mentally okay. How do you take care of yourself?
• 36:13
  Grounded?
• 36:13
  Yeah.
• 36:14
  No.
• 36:15
  So, I think you do have to just take time for yourself.
• 36:21
  I do take time like once a week.
• 36:24
  Whether I go for, I mean, it sounds frivolous or whatever, but I will go for a massage one time or I'll go for a facial.
• 36:31
  Go meet a, specifically go meet a friend and just talk.
• 36:35
  This group that we've been kind of with at the Parkinsons, at the K Clinic, we had a program called Thrive.
• 36:43
  And I was like, we're the youngest couple by quite a number of years and whatnot.
• 36:47
  But I get the ladies together because they range up to I think the oldest ones are 88.
• 36:52
  I think the wives are.
• 36:53
  And so we get together once a month.
• 36:56
  And we just go for coffee to talk about what we're each dealing with, and how to support each other.
• 37:03
  And then I just try to, like in the mornings, I just try to go for a, hit the treadmill or go to some way to just have my own mind set for the day and whatnot.
• 37:11
  But sometimes you do the Canmore getaway too.
• 37:14
  I do.
• 37:14
  I do.
• 37:15
  I do like to go to the mountains just to- Who doesn't?
• 37:19
  And I will say to Neil sometimes, and sometimes I know the kids look at me like, like mom's like going by herself for a night to the mountains.
• 37:26
  And I do.
• 37:27
  Sometimes I just need that mind.
• 37:28
  I just need that reset or I'm actually really doing nothing.
• 37:31
  Sure.
• 37:32
  And yeah, because sometimes you do take it.
• 37:35
  It's a lot to take on sometimes because you're thinking, you know.
• 37:38
  And good for you for realizing that and taking that time because how easy is it to get caught up where you don't?
• 37:44
  I probably wouldn't have done that until like, so it was about three and a half years ago, I guess, May of 23.
• 37:50
  I had a heart attack.
• 37:51
  And so that put me into like, okay, I have to take care of myself as well.
• 37:56
  And part of it is just, there's a lot, I mean, it was after his diagnosis, there's a lot going on in our, like everywhere, family, work, or whatever.
• 38:04
  So I think that was my wake up call to make, okay, you have to also take care of yourself.
• 38:08
  So I did, I re-prioritized and I do take time for just myself.
• 38:13
  And I don't apologize for it now.
• 38:15
  Or I think I would have felt guilty in the past for doing that.
• 38:18
  I was thinking, okay, I can be doing this instead with this hour, or I could be doing this, but...
• 38:22
  Self care is huge.
• 38:24
  Yeah, so...
• 38:25
  A lot of times too, it's boundaries, right?
• 38:27
  Yeah.
• 38:27
  Knowing what you're responsible for and what people are pushing on you.
• 38:31
  I mean, like, whoa, no.
• 38:34
  Yeah.
• 38:34
  Neil, that's a...
• 38:35
  So obviously, you both had to set boundaries.
• 38:40
  Yep.
• 38:40
  Yes, definitely.
• 38:41
  Hard to do?
• 38:42
  Very hard to do.
• 38:43
  Yeah.
• 38:44
  Because I just, I don't know, I just like to be able to help wherever, but at the same time, I also...
• 38:50
  Yeah.
• 38:51
  Yeah, we need to have those boundaries.
• 38:53
  Yeah.
• 38:53
  And I've learned it's okay to say no sometimes.
• 38:55
  Hardest thing, to just say no sometimes.
• 38:56
  It is, it is, it is the word.
• 38:59
  No is very foreign to me at first, but...
• 39:01
  Especially when you're a servant, you have a servant heart, right?
• 39:03
  Yeah.
• 39:04
  You're that servant.
• 39:05
  Yeah.
• 39:05
  Yeah.
• 39:05
  You're always that helper in there when someone needs you.
• 39:08
  People, some people unfortunately do take advantage of that.
• 39:10
  Right.
• 39:11
  So what is the current prognosis?
• 39:14
  What is...
• 39:16
  Oh, hopefully we're married for another 25 years.
• 39:19
  50 years or 44 years?
• 39:21
  Well, we need to do math right now, Cam.
• 39:24
  Depending on who's calling it here.
• 39:28
  No, we've actually just taken some time because he's feeling really good right now.
• 39:32
  So we did some traveling back in March.
• 39:35
  We took almost a month.
• 39:36
  And we went to Asia for a month.
• 39:38
  And we plan to do some more long trips like that, like this is the time.
• 39:43
  Because he says like in 10 years, I don't know if I'll be as mobile.
• 39:45
  Because we do have times where he gets gait or gets freezing in the legs or whatever.
• 39:51
  And traveling on planes is not exactly as comfortable as it used to be.
• 39:55
  Asia isn't close, it's a long trip.
• 39:58
  So we've just been doing some traveling and plan to keep doing that, I guess.
• 40:04
  And when you're here at home, are you talking to people about Parkinson's?
• 40:10
  Yeah, well, we try to...
• 40:13
  Well, Neil's very involved in his, in the group.
• 40:15
  It's funny because in the community...
• 40:16
  There's actually, there's a step and stride.
• 40:18
  Unfortunately, I won't make it this weekend.
• 40:20
  Step and stride in Hawrelak Park.
• 40:22
  Rundle Park.
• 40:22
  Rundle Park is our place this weekend.
• 40:25
  I'd be at that.
• 40:26
  I'd be at that normally.
• 40:27
  I attend all the events and I've been on the news a few times.
• 40:32
  Just spread the word as much as you can.
• 40:35
  And share the story.
• 40:36
  I think a lot of times people are afraid when they have a diagnosis.
• 40:41
  And I think it's hard.
• 40:43
  And Neil was like he said at the very beginning, like he was more the quiet one.
• 40:47
  So when they first asked him to do Global, I knew that brought on great anxiety.
• 40:51
  And I said, this is a good thing.
• 40:53
  And they were so good.
• 40:54
  Like in Lana at the Parkinson Society, she's so good when she's on with him.
• 40:59
  And I think once you did the first time, it was easier to do the next next times because it's sharing that story and hopefully connecting with somebody.
• 41:07
  And hopefully making them go, okay, this is not a life sentence. I still have lots of life.
• 41:12
  You're not the only one out there, right?
• 41:13
  Yes.
• 41:14
  I can't help but think there's people at home who are newly diagnosed or don't know exactly what's going on.
• 41:21
  Yeah.
• 41:22
  Go get that, go see your GP, go get a referral.
• 41:24
  Yeah, get it checked.
• 41:25
  Get it checked out no matter what it is.
• 41:27
  But most importantly, there's other people going through the same problems.
• 41:31
  There's always someone who's in the same boat and finding those people is huge, right?
• 41:35
  Yeah.
• 41:35
  And he does do like with the society too, you do, there's some zoom calls with early onset, like some of the younger, there's even people like in the 30s being diagnosed.
• 41:43
  So Neil's hopped on some of those calls and it's just to see somebody else live it and be okay with it.
• 41:49
  And just what he did might inspire somebody else.
• 41:53
  Just reading last night, 10 to 20 percent of Parkinson cases are early onset.
• 42:00
  So it's a lower number of, and you're right.
• 42:02
  I mean, you're young, you're healthy, you're doing everything.
• 42:05
  This isn't, it's supposed to happen to older people, not younger people.
• 42:09
  And now it's happened to you and you're younger and you, yeah, so working through all that, you're right.
• 42:15
  There are people who are listening that are like, well, I'm not going to get a check because I'm only 50.
• 42:19
  I'm only 52.
• 42:21
  It's probably maybe just stress or something, right?
• 42:24
  People sometimes make their own diagnosis.
• 42:25
  For sure.
• 42:26
  Absolutely, we all do.
• 42:27
  And so, you know, it'll pass.
• 42:29
  It'll pass.
• 42:29
  It'll pass.
• 42:31
  But I think the earlier you find out what it is, Oh, it's huge.
• 42:34
  It's a big thing, right?
• 42:35
  The treatment.
• 42:36
  Exactly.
• 42:37
  It takes some time.
• 42:38
  I mean, medication is not the...
• 42:41
  It's a hard combination to figure out.
• 42:43
  It's hard to figure out.
• 42:44
  Like, it's great.
• 42:44
  Now, he doesn't show up.
• 42:46
  You're like, Oh, I didn't even know he has Parkinson's.
• 42:48
  I don't see the tremor.
• 42:49
  It's like because the medication is so good and we have the right dosage at the right times throughout the day to prevent that, right?
• 42:56
  But it's just...
• 42:58
  I spent a lot of time being envious of people.
• 43:01
  And I think you still kind of look at people who are healthy and be like, why can't I be 100% healthy like that?
• 43:07
  But you just can't look at it that way.
• 43:10
  You have to do what you can with what you've been given.
• 43:13
  And just like I said, it kind of stresses living life, right?
• 43:17
  And I just think that's a natural response with someone who's, you know, whatever it is they have, you think, why me?
• 43:25
  Why me?
• 43:26
  Absolutely.
• 43:27
  It's your first, I think, reaction, initial response to just that.
• 43:30
  Of course.
• 43:30
  And you can't live there forever.
• 43:32
  No.
• 43:32
  No.
• 43:32
  But it comes up.
• 43:33
  Yeah.
• 43:35
  Well, we're human.
• 43:35
  Yeah.
• 43:37
  There's a million other people you could have chosen.
• 43:39
  Why me?
• 43:39
  You guys are absolutely incredible.
• 43:41
  Well, this is just, I mean, yeah.
• 43:44
  And I have to, you know, when you talked about having a servant heart and doing all that she does, this lady right here is a dynamite.
• 43:54
  She really is.
• 43:55
  People need to know this.
• 43:57
  Absolutely.
• 43:58
  She gives so much to the community.
• 44:01
  People don't realize what she does.
• 44:03
  And so shout out to her.
• 44:05
  And in fact, she won the City of Spruce Grove Award of Excellence this year.
• 44:10
  Awesome.
• 44:11
  Which is so well-deserved.
• 44:13
  Yeah.
• 44:13
  Well, thank you.
• 44:14
  It just, it was very hard, like when I, when I got the call that I was, had this, received this award, I was receiving this award because I just, to me, it's just, I think a just main part of it is because I grew up in this community.
• 44:27
  In Spruce Grove that I just think like everybody should give back what they can.
• 44:31
  Yeah.
• 44:31
  And when they can, because really it's the back, I want my kids to experience kind of Spruce Grove how I experienced it as a kid.
• 44:37
  Everybody knew everybody, everybody helped everybody out. We've lost that in society.
• 44:40
  And I think we, we, we have, and I think it's just so important to just like, and it's funny because when you meet, it's amazing how many, when you're at these events, like because it's when they dropped off something at my house the other day, I know you from somewhere, I don't know where, but I'm going to figure out where, whatever.
• 44:55
  And it was because their a friend had borrowed my tables for something.
• 44:57
  Right.
• 44:58
  And anyways, it was just, I just, I think it's just part of being part of a community.
• 45:05
  Yeah.
• 45:06
  I think and not everybody can give time, sometimes, not everybody can give, but if everybody can give something sometime, somewhere.
• 45:14
  I think Neil said it best.
• 45:15
  You have a servant heart.
• 45:17
  100 percent.
• 45:17
  Servant heart.
• 45:18
  And that's huge.
• 45:19
  That's, I wish we had a million of you.
• 45:22
  We don't.
• 45:23
  Well, we have you and that's awesome.
• 45:25
  That's incredible.
• 45:25
  I don't think she understands the difference she makes in people's lives.
• 45:28
  Absolutely! I agree! And again, I'm going to come back to it.
• 45:31
  Tell it.
• 45:31
  Okay.
• 45:32
  Just tell us about the Kinettes.
• 45:34
  Two minutes.
• 45:35
  Kinettes, Christmas, toy.
• 45:37
  Just tell us about it.
• 45:38
  Yeah.
• 45:38
  Okay.
• 45:39
  So it's our 53rd year.
• 45:40
  53.
• 45:41
  53 years coming up here of Spruce Grove Kinettes, providing Christmas for the less fortunate in Spruce Grove and East Parkland County.
• 45:48
  So we cover from Boundary Road, all the way through Spruce Grove, all the way through Acheson up to Winterburn Road, and all the way to Devon to the River.
• 45:55
  Yeah, yeah.
• 45:56
  So we provide families with grocery gift cards.
• 45:58
  So last year, it was just over $96,000 in grocery gift cards.
• 46:03
  So we have like really a three-month span here that we'll be collecting for that.
• 46:07
  And then last year, it was 825 kids, 17 and under that received a gift under the tree.
• 46:13
  Folks, let me tell you, you want to see something impressive.
• 46:16
  Go to where they assemble all the toys.
• 46:19
  You walk in and you see all this gym, a gymnasium full, full.
• 46:24
  I don't mean half.
• 46:25
  I mean full of stuff for the kids.
• 46:29
  And you got to be brain dead and dead to not just stand there and be moved by this.
• 46:34
  This is incredible. It's pretty amazing actaully.
• 46:35
  Like I'm going to say it just like that because that's the truth.
• 46:39
  It's overwhelming.
• 46:40
  It's unbelievable.
• 46:40
  You do, what you do is, it's amazing.
• 46:43
  Well it's great.
• 46:44
  It fills my heart.
• 46:46
  It fills some little guy's heart, some little girl's heart.
• 46:48
  We have so many volunteers that come back year after year that make it work, make it happen.
• 46:53
  Even just the families.
• 46:54
  We're going to talk about this lots.
• 46:56
  Because I want lots of toys.
• 46:58
  Cam, it's unreal to see the people just watching from birds' eye view, the people in that church working, and just running presents out to the people in the cars.
• 47:08
  Sometimes some of the people you see in the cars are like, they're crying.
• 47:12
  Yeah, we still have, back in the good old days, the pre-COVID days when they used to come in and receive the hampers.
• 47:19
  We would, some people just need to feel that, to know that somebody cares for them.
• 47:23
  Because I really have met lots of families and lots of people that are really, they're just so downtrodden.
• 47:30
  I'll just be like, do you need a hug?
• 47:31
  They're like, yes, and they're just grabbing you.
• 47:33
  They just need to feel loved.
• 47:35
  Like really, they just need to feel that somebody's there with them.
• 47:37
  Human connection.
• 47:38
  It is.
• 47:39
  We have a drive-through format now.
• 47:41
  But I still have- We're all going to start crying.
• 47:42
  I was going to say, we got the.
• 47:45
  Cam, there's a tear in your eye.
• 47:46
  But we have people that will be like, can, is Trina inside?
• 47:50
  Can we- and then I'll go outside and they just give me still the biggest hug.
• 47:53
  Like it's just- it's what makes it- all those hours worth it.
• 47:57
  Absolutely.
• 47:58
  So you do that.
• 47:59
  Yes.
• 48:00
  I swear that's more than a full-time job, Trina, because it is what you do.
• 48:04
  You are also- this is also where we have a connection.
• 48:08
  You are the billet coordinator for the Spruce Grove Saints Junior Hockey Club.
• 48:13
  I am, and Jen used to be a billet.
• 48:16
  Thirteen years.
• 48:17
  Yes, she's probably the long- I think she has the record for the amount of years.
• 48:20
  So you want to hockey play?
• 48:21
  You live in Spruce Grove, you want a hockey player?
• 48:23
  To live in your basement.
• 48:25
  Call Trina at 1-800-MyBasementIsFree.
• 48:29
  Trina, I always said I should write a book.
• 48:33
  Yeah, it's great.
• 48:34
  I love being involved with the team.
• 48:35
  I mean, these players are amazing young men that come to us.
• 48:38
  They've been wonderful.
• 48:39
  We have them all placed like this year right now.
• 48:42
  And yeah, so it's just, it's just.
• 48:44
  Well, you've turned that ship around too.
• 48:47
  So you're doing amazing things.
• 48:49
  Thank you.
• 48:49
  All over the place.
• 48:50
  It's fun.
• 48:51
  Some of the comments you get from the players and the parents, like I hear it all and they're just, they can't believe it.
• 48:57
  Well, I think it's just as a mom.
• 48:59
  Yeah.
• 48:59
  And I'm shipping my kid across the ocean or across the border or from the other side of Canada to some stranger's house. To play hockey.
• 49:06
  And I'm just like, I want to be able to make sure that they're okay.
• 49:10
  Like these boys are my boys too.
• 49:12
  And I know exactly what house they're being in.
• 49:14
  Like I've been to all these homes.
• 49:15
  I know the families and it's just, yeah, it's great.
• 49:18
  I mean, both you, Jennifer and you, what an amazing thing you did and that's incredible.
• 49:24
  And they're fun.
• 49:26
  Well, they're fun, aren't they?
• 49:30
  It's just, yeah, it's a...
• 49:32
  And season opener is Friday, seven o'clock.
• 49:35
  Get your tickets.
• 49:36
  Are we back into hockey?
• 49:37
  We are back into hockey, Cam. Holy doodles.
• 49:39
  Last year, the home opener was a sold out crowd, so...
• 49:42
  It's going to be a Trina's put up.
• 49:44
  I've only been, I've been to two Saints games.
• 49:46
  Only because Kyler.
• 49:47
  You have to come more.
• 49:48
  Kyler, when he played for, for Okotoks.
• 49:50
  Yeah, we used to go watch him. You need to come.
• 49:52
  Yeah, I need to come down and watch.
• 49:53
  Friday, we're going to have a couple of food trucks out front, face painting, temporary tattoo, the DJ, Cam.
• 49:58
  You need a temporary tattoo, Cam.
• 50:01
  I should've brought you one.
• 50:02
  You could have modeled it for us today.
• 50:03
  I need a few temporary things.
• 50:06
  Is this the first season in the new?
• 50:08
  Second season.
• 50:09
  In the new arena.
• 50:10
  Yeah.
• 50:11
  Okay.
• 50:11
  Yeah, the home opener on Friday is going to be the next level.
• 50:13
  All right.
• 50:14
  Yeah.
• 50:14
  So if you live around here, check it out.
• 50:16
  If you live in beautiful downtown Acheson, which nobody does, but if you're in the vicinity.
• 50:21
  I've heard though.
• 50:22
  Come on.
• 50:23
  People might live here soon.
• 50:24
  Yes, we have heard that.
• 50:25
  Yeah.
• 50:26
  Anyway, check it out.
• 50:27
  Yeah, that's another discussion for another podcast.
• 50:29
  But anyways, you guys, this is incredible.
• 50:34
  You are incredible people because you're just, what you're doing is amazing.
• 50:40
  Well, we're happy to be part of the community.
• 50:42
  And I mean, I gotta stop.
• 50:46
  I know.
• 50:48
  Spruce Grove really is a great community though.
• 50:49
  Honestly, we're like it is, and I just wanted to continue to our kids and our grandkids.
• 50:54
  I want them to be proud to be here.
• 50:58
  Okay, we have a final question that we ask each one of our guests.
• 51:01
  So I'm going to ask you each individually.
• 51:03
  Trina, I'm going to start with you this time.
• 51:05
  Okay, best piece of advice.
• 51:07
  You have been given either personally or professionally that you carry with you to this day.
• 51:13
  So our deacon at church is the one that told me, first minute that you wake up in the morning, you thank God for your life, and then you figure out how you want that day to go.
• 51:22
  And that's where I got the positive mindset to just lay there, I can decide how my day is going to go.
• 51:26
  So I can either think positive or think negative.
• 51:29
  So I always think with a cup half full at least.
• 51:32
  Yep, that's my advice.
• 51:34
  That's great advice.
• 51:35
  Yep.
• 51:35
  Neil?
• 51:36
  Mine's probably professionally, I was told by one of my bosses to worry about what you can control, and don't worry about what you can't control, because what you can't control is out of your control.
• 51:47
  I know it sounds simple, but it's easy to get caught up in it.
• 51:50
  It's the truth, isn't it?
• 51:51
  Yeah.
• 51:52
  We worry about things that sometimes we, yeah, we have no control over, so just let it go where it goes.
• 51:59
  Yep.
• 51:59
  Thank you both for saying yes to this.
• 52:01
  Well, thanks for having us.
• 52:03
  This has been amazing.
• 52:03
  You made my day, my week.
• 52:06
  This is fabulous.
• 52:11
  We appreciate being asked to come on.
• 52:12
  It's, you know, and Trina, I know we're going to get to see you a little bit in the next couple of months.
• 52:17
  You bet.
• 52:18
  We're going to be in full gear.
• 52:19
  Absolutely.
• 52:20
  Getting ready for hampers.
• 52:21
  We're going to do it.
• 52:22
  Neil, I, yeah, this is fabulous.
• 52:25
  You're, keep going.
• 52:27
  You have our thoughts and our prayers and our support and anything we could ever do.
• 52:33
  We're here for you.
• 52:34
  Thank you very much.
• 52:35
  And yeah.
• 52:36
  And hey, everybody, listen, if you know somebody who needs to listen to this podcast, tell them, tell them about it.
• 52:45
  Tell you, we always say, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your coworkers, tell your enemies.
• 52:51
  If you don't have any friends, make one so that you can tell them about this podcast.
• 52:56
  Because listen, we always say share our podcast, but today I'm saying share our podcast.
• 53:03
  Because these are things people, this is a story that people need to hear.
• 53:08
  And lots of things here, you can support the Parkinson's Society.
• 53:15
  They can always use support, always.
• 53:18
  We'll actually put a link to the website.
• 53:20
  Yeah, we'll put a link.
• 53:20
  You can support the Kinettes.
• 53:22
  And we're going to do, I'm serious about this Kinettes thing.
• 53:25
  We're going to do this this Christmas.
• 53:26
  Stay tuned.
• 53:27
  Stay tuned because I got to go away and think about this.
• 53:30
  And if Jennifer gets on side, which I know she will because I've said it publicly.
• 53:35
  So what's she going to do?
• 53:36
  Come on the podcast and go, no.
• 53:38
  I'm not a grinch Cam.
• 53:39
  What?
• 53:39
  No, I know you're not.
• 53:40
  You're very giving, you're very, yeah, no, no.
• 53:43
  Jen's always supportive of the program.
• 53:45
  And so, yeah, so just make sure you tell everybody at this podcast, you can hear us anywhere you get your podcasts.
• 53:52
  I always find that's a funny thing to say because if you're listening, well, if you're listening, you've got us somewhere, yeah.
• 53:57
  Or you can, because some people don't know, you can get us at www.coffeeinthepark.com.
• 54:03
  And just want to say thanks again to Wing Snob for everything you do for us.
• 54:07
  We really appreciate it.
• 54:09
  You guys are awesome.
• 54:10
  And want to say thank you again to Trina and to Neil.
• 54:14
  And thanks to all our listeners, guys.
• 54:16
  We appreciate you taking the time to listen each week.
• 54:18
  And follow us on Instagram.
• 54:20
  And subscribe now.
• 54:22
  Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe.
• 54:24
  And you will not miss.
• 54:25
  You'll never miss it.
• 54:26
  It'll just pop up on your screen and you'll go, oh, it's Coffee In The Park.
• 54:30
  Yeah, thanks everybody.
• 54:31
  Thanks everyone.