Jill Arpin knew something was wrong with her body. The Snow Laker had a family history of breast cancer, but couldn’t convince her doctors to let her get tested - until she met Dr. Michael Haldorson.
On March 6, the Northern Health Region (NHR) announced in a social media post that Dr. Haldorson will be leaving Snow Lake, with travelling providers used until a permanent replacement is found.
“Within a week of me making an appointment with him, I was seen and diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said.
“I was diagnosed with stage three cancer. They told me that I've had cancer for at least five years. When I was seeing all the other doctors and being pushed aside, I did have cancer and if I hadn't seen him when I did, I could be saying it was terminal cancer.”
From Winnipeg, Arpin was upbeat. She had a mastectomy at the end of January and said she was getting some final tests done before starting chemotherapy.
“I really hope they get a doctor fast, because I really don’t want to have cancer and not have a doctor,” she said laughing.
Despite her insistence something was wrong, Arpin said until Haldorson came to Snow Lake in 2018, her concerns were dismissed.
“I actually had a breast lump a few years ago and was told that it was nothing - I'm too young,” she said.
“I didn't believe them when I tried every step that I could possibly take to try to get seen to have something done and I was still pushed aside by everyone.”
Arpin said Haldorson’s actions saved her life.
“I honestly believe that two years from now, I wouldn't be here to tell this story,” she said.
“I just turned 37 the other day. They told me the earliest I could get tested was 40 years. That would be eight years of having cancer.”
There has been a slight uptick of doctors working in Manitoba. There were 80 more doctors working in Manitoba in 2019, compared to 2018. The NHR has introduced a residency program designed to attract doctors north.
Those programs are little comfort to Arpin.
“I’m really, really disappointed we’re losing him,” she said.
