Tag: Lindsey Backmeyer

Backmeyers one step closer to home . . . Winterhawks lose pair of veteran scouts . . . Pats round out coaching staff

The Backmeyers aren’t back in Kamloops yet, but they are back in their home province of B.C.

“I just can’t even believe we did it,” Lindsey wrote on Facebook. “Eight weeks ago we left Vancouver and travelled across the country to Toronto for a kidney transplant. We left with some big hopes and dreams, sprinkled with a whole lot of fear.”

And why not? After all, Lindsey and her husband, Pat, had been told at one point in their journey that a second transplant for their youngest daughter, Ferris, 6, likely was impossible.

“We were given ‘the choice’ to just (let her) live her days out on dialysis or proceed with listing her and giving it a second shot,” Lindsey explained. “It was a no-brainer living the life Ferris was living that she needed another shot if she were to have any chance at growing up.”

So off they went in pursuit of another kidney and — guess what? — so far, so good.

“We were shocked, that things actually went as planned, that the transplant was successful and our girl was gifted a whole new life,” Lindsey wrote.

They left Toronto on Thursday, five weeks after Ferris had undergone a kidney transplant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Ferris Backmeyer, flanked by sisters Ksenia (left) and Tavia, didn’t need her stroller this time when she walked into BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

And now they are back at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, a facility with which they are quite familiar having been regulars there and at the Ronald McDonald House over the past five years.

“Walking into the hospital I had goosebumps everywhere,” Lindsey wrote.

What made things really special was . . .

“It was incredible watching Ferris just WALK into the hospital. I’m not sure she ever has before,” Lindsey explained. “She definitely hadn’t walked to a clinic appointment before.”

And it seems that Ferris received something of a warm welcome.

“It was incredibly heartwarming seeing their response to how well she’s doing. Lots of happy tears. Even as she sat in front of them . . . they just couldn’t believe she wasn’t a dialysis patient anymore . . . that she’s getting her shot!”

So now the five of them are back living at Ronald McDonald House as they wait to see what the future holds. Hopefully it means a return to Kamloops isn’t too far away.

Tavia told her mother “it felt like we were home finally. It really really did. The bigs were off with their friends until bedtime. Ferris played hard. Everyone was just so happy to be ‘home’.”

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Portland Winterhawks announced on Friday that veteran scouts Brad Davis and Ray Payne have left the organization. . . . Davis, who had been the head Manitoba scout, said he is leaving “to pursue other opportunities.” He had been with the Winterhawks for 16 years. . . . Ray Payne, who was Portland’s B.C. regional scout, was preparing for his seventh season with the Winterhawks. Payne had a long history as an NHL scout, working at various times with the Minnesota North Stars, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks. He was with the Calgary Hitmen before moving over to the Winterhawks. . . .

The City of Seattle, presumably with the support of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, wants to play host to the 2026 World Junior Championship. . . . Reports surfaced late last week to that effect. . . . It is believed that Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis also have expressed interest in playing host to the event. . . . The 2024 tournament is to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, with the tournament moving to Ottawa for 2025. A decision on 2026 is expected to be made sometime during the 2023-24 season. . . .

It would seem that the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League has added an ‘A’ to its name. Yes, it is referred to as the Kootenay International Junior A League in a recent news release in which it announced that it now will allow each of its teams to have six 20-year-old players on its roster, up one from where it was in recent seasons. . . . “Adding an additional 20-year old roster spot provides added flexibility for our member clubs as they build their teams for the 2023/24 season and brings us closer in line with other Junior A leagues across the country,” Jeff Dubois, the league’s commissioner, said in the news release. . . . The KIJHL and two other leagues in B.C., all of which had been junior B, have been designated Junior A Tier 2 by BC Hockey.

THE COACHING GAME:

The Regina Pats have hired Evan McFeeters as an assistant coach, filling the spot created when Brad Herauf was promoted to head coach following the retirement of John Paddock. . . . McFeeters, 35, had been the head coach of the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders for one season. He also has coached with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles and Brooks Bandits. McFeeters is from Canmore. . . . He joins assistant coach Ken Schneider and goaltending coach Daniel Wapple on the Pats’ staff.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Ferris: ‘Kidneys are the best’ and fun, fun, fun in TO . . . Elks shuffle some deck chairs . . . AJHL head coach off to WHL

FerrisJays
Tavia (left), Ferris and Ksenia Backmeyer watch the host Toronto Blue Jays drop a 3-2 10-inning decision to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook).

The Backmeyers didn’t have a Thunderbird, but they spent what they hope will be their final weekend in Toronto having fun, fun, fun . . . from attending a Toronto Blue Jays game to taking a dip at a clothing-optional beach.

It has been a long, long time since the family — Lindsey and Pat, and daughters Tavia, 11, Ksenia, 9, and Ferris, 6 — has been able to spend time just doin’ stuff.

FerrisLogoAs Lindsey wrote on Sunday night: “One month post-transplant . . . hard to believe! Still smilin! . . . I can only imagine where we will be six months from now.”

If you have been following Ferris’s story, you will know that the terms of her young life have been dictated by kidney disease, and her family has had to adjust accordingly.

However, Ferris underwent a kidney transplant overnight on June 29 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the recovery process has been going well.

If all continues to go well, the Backmeyers, who are from Kamloops, will be moving back to Vancouver and BC Children’s Hospital on Thursday.

So . . . the family let it all hang out on the weekend.

“Jays, High Park, Toronto islands, medieval times, beaches, playgrounds, swimming pools and water parks! It was a super-sweet weekend,” Lindsey wrote, adding that “I’m sure Ksenia will have lots to say about the beach (Sunday)!”

Ah yes, the beach . . .

“Everyone was hot and sick of walking, sooooo when the first beach we got to was the ‘clothing optional’ beach, it was a (bleep) it moment. Who gives a crap anyway and in we went!” Lindsey wrote. “To avoid crowds we walk or Uber places . . . but mostly walk. And apparently we also frequent the nudey beach.”

But, as Lindsey pointed out with a laughing emoticon, that beach “was considerably less busy.”

Lindsey and Pat, both of whom work in healthcare, are well aware of the risks they are taking and that they are opening themselves to criticism. But after so many years of living as if with chains on, nothing is going to deny them and their girls these days of freedom.

“Ferris is a champ. She is so understanding with things she can and cannot do,” Lindsey explained. “We already are pretty liberal on what risks we are willing to take for quality of life and LIVING, so much so that I question sharing her adventures as one would easily be able to say she should be cooped up and isolated. They also probably aren’t wrong. She also would be miserable. Like truly miserable. We all would be.

“This hasn’t been a season . . . it’s her whole life and, well, this is just how we’ve come to navigate things!! Calculated risks . . . some feel bigger than others. We are stuck in a busy city and avoid crowds most of the time by walking places or catching Ubers. Water taxis over the incredibly crowded ferry. No indoor play spaces. No public transit. The Jays game probably should have been a ‘no’ . . . but man she had fun.

“We minimize risks in risky places and hope we don’t live to regret our decisions. We cover her line well and let her play in the splash park. Wade to her knees in their chlorinated wading pools while her sisters get to swim at the big pool She can’t go in the lake at all but happily plays in the sand.

“We only went to the rides at the end for a couple hoping the crowd would have died down and it had. She wasn’t allowed on the rollercoaster or log ride and she was cool with it. Those are her faves. She’s just been so incredibly understanding of the ‘rules.’ ”

What it all amounts to is that, Lindsey said, her youngest daughter “has just been having some of the best days!”

And you can bet that Ferris knows it, too. As she told her mother the other day, “Kidneys are the best.”

With the weekend behind them, the Backmeyers are hoping for, as Lindsey put it, “sweet labs (Monday) and a seamless transition back ‘home’ later this week.

“I’m real done with downtown Toronto!”

BigsSunset
Ksenia (left) and Tavia could have only three more sunsets before the Backmeyers are able to put Toronto behind them. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Blinker

The fall of the CFL’s Edmonton Elks has been amazingly incredible to watch. If EdmontonElksyou’re a follower of the CFL, I am sure you will admit that you never thought you would see the day when Edmonton fans would show up for a game with paper bags over their heads. . . . But that’s where we are today. . . . The Elks lost 27-0 to the visiting B.C. Lions on Saturday to fall to 0-8 this season. This was Edmonton’s 21st consecutive home-field loss, the longest such skid in North American sporting history. The Elks had shared the record with baseball’s St. Louis Browns, who lost 20 in a row at home in 1953. By the time the 1954 season arrived, they were in Baltimore. . . . The Lions had blanked the visiting Elks, 22-0, in Week 2. . . . This is the first time in CFL history that one team has shut out another opponent twice in the same season, and it’s the first time a CFL team has put up two shutouts in one season since 1970. . . . How bad are the Elks? In the two games against the Lions, Edmonton didn’t scrimmage inside B.C.’s 20-yard line. Not even once! . . . Jed Roberts, who played 13 seasons at defensive end and linebacker with Edmonton, tweeted about the Elks not having any red-zone plays: “Do you even know how phenomenally difficult that is to manage? I mean, this is so historically bad (that) people aren’t getting how exceedingly rare that is. You’ll never see this happen again in your lifetime.” . . . On Monday, the Elks turned offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo into an advisor, giving his play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson. As well, Taylor Cornelius is out as the starting QB, with Jarret Doege or Canadian Tre Ford to start when the Elks next play, which will be on Aug. 10 against the visiting Blue Bombers.

Jaylen Brown, who isn’t even the best player on the Boston Celtics, signed a new contract last week. It calls for him to be paid at least US$60 million annually. . . . Jayson Tatum, who is Boston’s best player, will be due a new contract after the 2023-24 season. Will the Celtics be able to afford to have two $60-million players on their roster at the same time? . . . According to Sportico, the NBA has 76 players who will make at least $20 million for 2023-24. . . . The NHL salary cap for 2023-24 is US$83.5 million. . . .

Here’s Steve Simmons of Postmedia: “The Lou Lamoriello words. Every contract signed is for too much money and too many years. Jaylen Brown signs with the Boston Celtics for $60 million a season over six years. Too much and too long, from our friend Lou. . . . In other news, Brown will be paid more than the Canadian Football League next season.” . . . The CFL salary cap this season is $5,450,000 per team. There are nine teams. You do the math.

Tired

Headline at The Beaverton — Canada’s grocery companies pretending not to hear about falling inflation rate.

——

Headline at The Onion — Family has strict no smartphone rule while eating dinner in front of TV.

THE COACHING GAME:

The AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders are looking for a head coach after announcing on Monday that Evan McFeeters is leaving “for a new opportunity in the Western Hockey League.” . . . McFeeters spent one season as the Crusaders’ head coach, guiding them to a 33-20-7 record, good for fourth spot in the Northern Division. They lost out in the second round of playoffs. . . . As of Monday night, there hadn’t yet been an announcement from a WHL team concerning the hiring of McFeeters.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Headlines

Backmeyers close to wrapping up best chapter yet . . . BC Hockey keeps door open for BCHL teams . . . Rebels, Silvertips acquire 2003-born skaters

FerrisMom
Lindsey Backmeyer and her daughter, six-year-old Ferris, are enjoying the newest chapter in their lives. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

You have to have at least some understanding of what the Backmeyer family has been through over most of the past six years to understand what they are going through right now.

Oh, things continue to go swimmingly as Ferris, 6, continues to make progress from a kidney transplant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto four weeks ago.

FerrisLogoHowever, Lindsey, Ferris’s mother, just can’t shake that feeling that things have been going too well. With all that she, husband Pat and the three girls have dealt with they now find themselves in a whole different world.

The emotion was raw as Lindsey explained what she is going through. She admitted to being confused because things have been going so smoothly. She just isn’t used to this. Will she be able to get used to it?

“So many feelings,” Lindsey wrote on Facebook. “All the excitement over the reality that we are here. The fear of it all falling apart. It’s just been such a drastic change so fast, so unreal and truly unbelievable. With this gift comes tremendous responsibility.

“I’m anxious (and am) genuinely shocked with every set of labs. Waiting for the (other) shoe to drop. But so far nope! No complications??? I’m confused. It’s just so incredibly foreign to us for things to be smooth for this long. It’s an odd struggle to have to manage.

“Anyone who knows transplant knows that rejection meds given on time is super important. Our med schedule and life schedule (still some really late nights) are so messed up that we set alarms to give 8 a.m. meds. I don’t sleep well at all. Waking hourly most nights because I’m worried I’m gonna sleep through the alarm! Anyone who knows me knows that’s a real possibility!!”

FerrisSmile
Ferris Backmeyer has been enjoying Toronto’s playgrounds as she keeps making progress from a kidney transplant. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

But, as she added, “Those are small potatoes for worries though these days.”

There are, as she notes, “so many reasons to be smiling these days.”

As mentioned, things are going great with Ferris, and her big sisters — Tavia, 11, and Ksenia, 9 — have returned from the trip they made to California with Lindsey’s mother. So the family is back together and preparing for the next chapter.

Now it’s a matter of having all of Ferris’s tests in order and getting the OK to head west.

“Today,” Lindsey wrote on Thursday, “we had labs and ultrasound! We knew that if results were good, we’d get the green flag to transfer back to (BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver) next week! Labs were awesome! Ultrasound looked better!

“Unless something major develops between now and then, we are leaving Toronto next Thursday! Whoop whoop! Only disappointing thing is that we’ve been told that (Ronald McDonald House) in Vancouver is full until Aug. 15 . . . ughhhh. I’m not gonna dwell on it. Hoping we can get in sooner than that.

“I advocated hard for a suitable accommodation for us. But as of yet am unsure where we will be staying. Just throwing it out there that this sorts itself out. That we belong at (Ronald McDonald House) BC, that going home is not really home if we are moving to Vancouver and staying somewhere else. That all the good luck we’ve had recently continues and it doesn’t end up being as bad as it feels.”

In the meantime, the Backmeyers will try to make the best of what they hope will be their last weekend in Toronto.

“We had originally planned to try to escape the city for the weekend,” Lindsey wrote, “but have instead decided to stick around and cram in the last of the ‘Toronto’ things we wanted to do. One more week and hopefully we are wrapping up this chapter . . . the best one yet!”

Dejamoo

No one follows goings-on in the BCHL any closer than does Brian Wiebe who operates the BCHL Network (bchlnetwork.ca) and tweets at @Brian_Wiebe.

The piece he wrote on Tuesday after BC Hockey replaced junior B hockey with Junior A Tier 1 and Junior A Tier 2 is the best that I have seen on the subject.

You are able to read it right here, and you should if you are following all that is happening with this file.

It is evident that, from a BC Hockey perspective, all of this is a work in progress.

BCHockeyAs Cam Hope, BC Hockey’s CEO put it in Wiebe’s story: “It’s in progress right now, but I can give you the broad parameters of some of the things. Around officiating, I think all the leagues are committed to going to a four-person system. We have to watch the landscape a little bit this year, some officials have left and gone non-sanctioned with the BCHL.

“The things you might expect — standards (like) coaching certifications, some standards around player experience having to do with committed dressing rooms, facilities and most importantly around practices — practice quality, practice volume, (and) travel. (It’s) the usual check checklist for any league, but the details of it are something that we’re all working on together.

“We want to be mindful of the fact that this is pretty quick for some of these franchises, and some are far ahead of others. It’s a work in progress, but yeah, it’s a pretty long list, but it’s little by little we’re going to get there.”

The one thing that I found most interesting in Wiebe’s piece is that Hope has left the door open for any of the BCHL’s 17 teams to return to BC Hockey.

“There are some communities around B.C. that felt Junior A was maybe just a little bit out of reach,” Hope said. “There are some communities in northern B.C. with good arenas and great fan support that did not have a league to play in at a Junior A or Junior B level. And there are some clubs now that are playing non-sanctioned junior hockey this year in the BCHL and elsewhere that may want to have a place to return to sanctioned hockey.

“Getting the ecosystem set the way that we’re setting it this year I think solved all of those problems if and when they start to arrive. When I say problems, they’re good problems and that’s communities that want to come in and join what we’re trying to do here.”

There is a whole lot more to Wiebe’s piece, so give it a read and you’ll have a good understanding of just what is happening.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Carson Latimer, 20, from the Wenatchee Wild for a couple of WHL draft picks, a fifth in 2024 and a conditional third in 2025. . . . According to Wild, the third-rounder is conditional upon Latimer’s reporting to Red Deer. He was a fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the NHL’s 2021 draft. . . . Latimer, from White Rock, B.C., was a third-round selection by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2018 draft. He has put up 97 points, including 38 goals, in 143 regular-season games split among the Oil Kings, Prince Albert Raiders and Winnipeg Ice. . . . Last season, with the Ice, had had 14 goals and 26 assists in 53 games. . . . After the trade, Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) tweeted: “According to my spreadsheet, the 2024 5th and 2025 3rd that Wenatchee got from Red Deer for Latimer are now Wenatchee’s highest picks in both those drafts.” . . .

The Everett Silvertips have acquired 2003-born F Teague Patton from the Victoria Royals for a fourth-round selection in the WHL’s 2026 draft. . . . Patton, from Kelowna, had 16 goals and 33 assists in 68 games with the Royals last season. . . . He played in 78 games over three seasons (2019-22) with the Medicine Hat Tigers, putting up 25 points, including 12 goals. . . . After moving Patton, the Royals, according to play-by-play man Marlon Martens, still have six 20-year-olds on their roster — F Matthew Hodson, G Braden Holt, F Grady Lane, D Gannon Laroque, F Justin Lies and D Luke Rybinski. The Royals acquired Lane from the Spokane Chiefs on June 27, and got Lies from the Saskatoon Blades on June 2. . . .

F Sam Honzek of the Vancouver Giants has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames, who selected him with the 16th pick of the NHL’s 2023 draft. . . . Honzek, from Slovakia, had 23 goals and 33 assists in 43 games as a freshman with the Giants last season. He also played for Slovakia in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. . . . Honzek, who will turn 19 on Nov. 12, will be back with the Giants for the 2023-24 season, unless, of course, he cracks the Flames’ roster. . . . Interestingly, he went by Samuel last season, but judging by the Flames’ announcement on Tuesday, he now is going by Sam. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes and 106.7 ROCK have agreed to a four-year contract extension that will have the radio station as the home to game broadcasts through the 2026-27 season. . . . They have been broadcast partners for the past nine seasons, starting with 2014-15. . . .

The Seattle Thunderbirds will retire F Patrick Marleau’s No. 12 on Nov. 3 prior to a game against the Spokane Chiefs. Marleau, from Aneroid, Sask., played two seasons (1995-97) with the Thunderbirds, totalling 199 points, including 83 goals, in 143 regular-season games. He is the NHL’s all-time leader in regular-season games played (1,779) after skating with the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Marleau will be the second Seattle player to have his number retired. The Thunderbirds honoured F Glen Goodall (No. 10) in 1990. . . .

The junior B Keystone Junior Hockey League has added a seventh franchise by granting one to the Waywayseecappo First Nation, which is located near Russell, Man. . . . The team will begin play in 2023-24 and will play as the Waywayseecappo Wild.

Guns

THE COACHING GAME:

The WHL’s Wenatchee Wild has rounded out its coaching staff with the hiring of Andrew Sarauer as an assistant coach. Sarauer, a 38-year-old from Saskatoon, has retired as a player after spending 15 seasons in the ECHL, AHL and Europe. . . . He played with the BCHL’s Victoria Salsa and Langley Hornets before spending four seasons at Northern Michigan U. . . . In Wenatchee, he will be working with head coach Kevin Constantine and associate head coach Chris Clark. . . . Sarauer played nine seasons with Fehérvár AV19 in Hungary. Constantine was the head coach there for the last two of those seasons.

TooSoon

——

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Ignorance

Ferris’s mom: ‘. . . so many miracles . . . it’s been incredible to watch’ . . . Cougars add veteran coach to staff . . . OHL team hires Finn as head coach

FerrisBeach
Life at the beach is just great for a smiling Ferris Backmeyer these days. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Ferris Backmeyer continues to smile through her days as she enjoys the latest chapter in what has been a short life full of ups and downs . . . mostly the latter.

Ferris, 6, is from Kamloops and, if you’re new to her story, she underwent her second kidney transplant overnight on June 29 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

She has battled kidney disease for most of her life and actually underwent a kidney transplant on March 6, 2021, at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. However, there were complications and the new kidney had to be removed shortly after having been put in place.

Having travelled a whole lot of rough road, the Backmeyer family found itself in Toronto last month and it is nothing short of amazing to read what they are going through these days.

“Well,” mother Lindsey wrote on Sunday night, “I’d a never dreamed that just a few weeks post-op we’d have witnessed so many miracles . . . but here we are!”

It really does a heart good to read Lindsey’s writings and musings these days because of the positive vibe emanating from them. This is a family — including father Pat and daughters Tavia, 11, and Ksenia, 9 — that has been conditioned to expect the worst when it comes to the youngest member of their group.

FerrisFlower
Ferris Backmeyer is finding ways to have all kinds of fun now that she has a new kidney. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

These days, though, it’s an entirely different story.

“It’s been incredible to watch,” Lindsey added. “She’s the same sweet girl but just feels so much better. She’s had zero complaints of pain. She’s happy. She’s hungry. She’s got really good energy levels. She wakes up before us now and wakes me with face tickles. It’s just been such a treat to witness. I can’t wait until her sisters and grandma get back so they can see it, too!”

Tavia and Ksenia along with Lindsey’s mother have been in California for a few days, visiting with an aunt and uncle.

Meanwhile, back in Toronto, the waiting game continues. Keep in mind that the Backmeyers left their Kamloops home early in March as they moved to Vancouver because Ferris had to be transitioned from peritoneal dialysis to hemodialysis, the former having become mostly ineffective.

At that time, they had planned to head for Toronto with a transplant scheduled for April 25. However, a phone call on April 19 put the kibosh on that. But a new date was quickly settled on and the family headed to Toronto for the transplant. Now, with all of that behind them, it’s a matter of taking one day at a time . . .

“Our only appointment last week after getting discharged went fairly well,” Lindsey related. “Her fluid collection that was seen on the kidney has grown a bit in size. They will continue to watch it and she has another ultrasound this week. They are keeping us here until they are more confident no further surgical interventions will be required.

“I’m hopeful that we will be back in B.C. by mid-August at the latest!! Until then, hoping for a lot more boring hospital days and cramming in some more summer fun!”

Being back in B.C. will mean a return to Vancouver and the familiar surroundings of Ronald McDonald House and BC Children’s Hospital. If all goes well there — and, really, given the last couple of weeks, why shouldn’t it? — the Backmeyers could be back in their Kamloops home shortly after that.

Here’s hoping that they get there soon.

The BCHL, which left the Hockey Canada umbrella earlier this summer, thinks that its on-ice officials should be allowed to work in games sanctioned by Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. . . . BC Hockey says that isn’t going to happen. Cam Hope, BC Hockey’s CEO, put it this way: “The non-sanctioned policy has been in place for a long time. Leagues that have operated outside the system (have) always known that they were doing things like putting officials in a difficult spot by leaving sanctioned hockey.” . . . Steve Ewen of Postmedia has the latest on this peeing contest right here.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

D E.J. Emery, a third-round selection by the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL’s 2021 draft, has committed to the U of North Dakota beginning with the 2024-25 season. He is seen as a potential first-round selection in the NHL’s 2024 draft. . . . Emery played last season for the U.S. U-17 team. Born in Surrey, B.C., he played at the Yale Academy in Abbotsford before moving into the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . Emery’s father, Eric, is an American who played linebacker in the CFL for the B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Rough Riders (1985-87). . . .

The Kamloops Blazers have added Rebecca Kuresh to their staff as athletic therapist. Kuresh spent the past two seasons with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles. Before that, she was with the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons for three seasons. A native of Calgary, she will work alongside Colin Robinson, the Blazers’ longtime athletic trainer and equipment manager. . . . Kuresh takes over from Morris Boyer, who was with the Blazers for one season.

Science

THE COACHING GAME:

The Prince George Cougars have signed Jim Playfair as their associate coach, replacing Josh Dixon who left to take over as head coach of the U of Guelph Gryphons men’s hockey team. . . . Playfair is from Fort St. James, B.C., and was a part-time coach with the Cougars for part of last season. . . . He has extensive coaching experience, including 15 seasons as a head coach or associate coach in the NHL. He also has coached in the AHL, IHL and ECHL. . . . His playing experience included time with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and Calgary Wranglers. He won a WHL championship (1982) and a Memorial Cup (1983) with Portland. . . . The Cougars’ news release is right here. . . .

The OHL’s Kitchener Rangers have hired Jussi Ahokas, a native of Finland, as their head coach. Ahokas, 42, has been coaching in Europe for 20 years. He made stops in Germany (Deutsche Eishockey Liga — DEL), Finland (Finnish Elite League — Liiga), Sweden (Swedish Hockey League — SHL), and Switzerland  (National League — NL). . . . Under his guidance as head coach, Finland won the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal in Vancouver and the 2016 IIHF U-18 World Championship in Grand Forks, N.D. . . . For the past four seasons, he has been coaching Finland’s Liiga, first with Turku TPS and most recently with Kouvola KooKoo. . . . The Rangers fired head coach Chris Dennis on Feb. 10 with general manager Mike McKenzie and assistant coaches Dennis Wideman, Brandon Merli and Brennan Menard taking over to finish the season. . . .

Jerrod Smith is the new head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. He has been on the Spitfires’ coaching staff since joining as video coach in 2011. He was an assistant coach from 2013-18 and associate coach for two seasons after that. For the past two seasons, he also has been director of player personnel. . . . He takes over as head coach from Marc Savard, who left to join the NHL’s Calgary Flames as an assistant coach. . . .

Jim Midgley has returned to the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads as head coach. . . . He replaces Sylvain Favreau, who left the organization last month. . . . Midgley spent six seasons (2011-17) as an assistant coach in Halifax and one season (2017-18) as head coach. He was an assistant coach when the Mooseheads won the 2013 Memorial Cup. . . . Midgley spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s New York Rangers. . . . Brad MacKenzie and Liam Heelis are returning as the Mooseheads’ assistant coaches. . . .

The OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads and general manager/head coach James Richmond have agreed on a contract extension that, according to a news release, is to “carry through to the 2029-30 season.” . . . The Steelheads are 194-164-42 during Richmond’s time with them. . . .

The AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons have promoted Sara Diamond to full-time assistant coach. She also will continue as the team’s skating and skills coach, a role she started in last season. . . . With the Oil Barons, the native of Bonavista, Nfld., will work alongside general manager/head coach Adam Manah.

Train

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Unsubscribe

Hospital to Ferris: You’re outta here! . . . She’s ‘a free bird’ . . . Bedard signs his first NHL contract

In the words of her mother, Lindsey, Ferris Backmeyer “is a free bird” today.

Ferris2
Ferris Backmeyer, post-transplant, enjoys time at a Toronto park. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Ferris, a six-year-old from Kamloops, is in Toronto with her family, recovering from a kidney transplant that was done at the Hospital for Sick Children.

The joy this family — it includes Pat, Lindsey’s husband, and older sisters Tavia, 11, and Ksenia, 9 — now is feeling just bursts off the computer screen as one reads Lindsey’s latest Facebook post.

“Nineteen hospital sleeps was 100% worth it to be right where we are. On the other side,” Lindsey writes. “It’s pretty (bleeping) dreamy!! It was the most surreal hospital experience we’ve ever had. A really quick recovery from a post-op/pain perspective and then a kid who is the least sick that she’s ever been in hospital!”

Remember that Ferris hasn’t known much but kidney problems and dialysis — either peritoneal or hemo — for most all of her short life. What she is experiencing now is unbelievably awesome.

Ferris1
Ferris Backmeyer is a swinging young lady in the early days of her post-transplant life. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

After undergoing the transplant, Ferris’s recovery was interrupted a tad by a bladder leak that required the installation of a catheter. But Lindsey reports that the leak “appears to have healed up well” and the catheter has been removed

Lindsey adds:

“The last week she has felt pretty good. No pain meds at all. Just waiting for the catheter and drain to come out. We managed to go out on passes in the afternoon/evening knowing that if the ultrasound looked solid (Sunday) we would get to leave (Monday)! It took allll day but we left at dinner time.

“We’ve been to this park daily and so far it’s filling her cup! That, and the Krispy Crèmes!!”

Now . . . if you’ve been following Ferris’s story for any length of time and are aware of what this family has been through, well, try reading this without things getting a bit misty.

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Ferris Backmeyer is loving another Krispy Kreme donut. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

“We’ve had so many sweet moments over the past couple of weeks,” Lindsey writes. “The big one is the eating. She’s no longer getting any tube feeds at all. Eating way too much food and meeting her fluid goals for the day. Watching her try new foods and demolish whole meals puts the biggest smile on my face. It’s unbelievable but also something I just knew was in her future.”

The really good news is that Ferris’s new kidney “continues to be soooo happy. There’s still some fine-tuning to be done with getting her weight down safely. She breathes really fast and her X-ray showed fluid on her lungs. I see it in her (impossible not to with a respiratory rate in the 60s) and it’s really hard to watch but her sats and heart rate are happy. It’s been that way for a couple weeks now and she’s pretty fine otherwise. But something I’d love to improve!”

For now, the Backmeyers will hang around Ronald McDonald House and wait for a transfer to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. If all goes well that move could take place in two weeks. After that, well, it would home to Kamloops for the first time in months.

And they really are going to enjoy the next couple of days because their medical team doesn’t want to see Ferris until Thursday.

“We haven’t had two whole days away from a hospital since the end of February!!” Lindsey notes. “That’s a huge win if you ask me!! It’s been 2.5 weeks since she’s had a dialysis treatment! There are wins falling from the sky lately!”

Lindsey also has maintained a sense of humour through all of this, and you can feel it as she writes: “Hell, I even finally got my first EI cheque . . . I’ve only been off work for four months already but yay for finally getting that sorted out!”

So . . . Lindsey, please tell us how you really feel . . . how you really, really feel.

“Life feels incredibly easy right now,” she writes. “Waiting for the shoe to drop but the longer we go with steadiness that fear settles a bit. This is not how we typically do things! Smoooooth! We literally just do meds and go for bloodwork and ultrasounds.”

FerrisLogoYou may not be aware that there isn’t a cure for kidney disease. Once you have it there isn’t any shaking it. Transplant recipients, while freed from having to do dialysis, are on a rather serious drug regimen.

Here’s Lindsey describing Ferris’s situation as of now:

“The meds are pretty intensive with several being cytotoxic and she’s on a schedule that has us giving meds five times throughout the day and a once daily injection. But it’s not a record amount of drugs for us by any means.

“It was definitely a record amount of money spent though!! Today’s bill was $2,000 for a three-week supply . . . which is trying to be sorted out for us. I’m fairly certain we will pay and then get reimbursed for a big chunk. It’ll be a non-issue once we get back to B.C.

“She’s on immunosuppressants, antibiotics, antiviral, antifungal, blood-thinner injections and a handful of others. I’m just not used to getting such a big bill for meds she’s already been on before and were covered.”

Yes, there are some considerable differences in what is/isn’t covered between Ontario and B.C.

Of course, to see Ferris and where she’s at now, well, everything this family has been through has been worth it.

“I’m like you realize we’ve done all these things for years. Right?” Lindsey concludes. “(It’s) all worth it to be where we are at right now. I can dream dreams that feel so within our reach I can taste it!! Some normalcy. Meds. That’s it!! Okay . . . so far I think we got this!!”

F Connor Bedard, the first overall selection in the NHL’s 2023 draft, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, which just happened to be his 18th birthday. . . . Bedard dominated talk in the first four months of 2023, thanks to his performance with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship and the last three months of what likely have been the last season of his WHL career with the Regina Pats. . . . Bedard, at 17, led the WHL in goals (71) and points (143), and was tied for the lead in assists (72), all in 57 games. . . . At the WJC, he put up 23 points, nine of them goals, in seven games. He led the tournament in points as he set a Canadian single-tournament record. He was fourth in tournament scoring for the 2023 event. . . . Bedard was named the CHL’s player of the year, the IIHF’s male player of the year and won the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence that is presented by NHL Central Scouting to the “draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.” . . . Because he’s 18, Bedard will have to be returned to the Pats for the 2023-24 season, unless he makes the Blackhawks’ roster. . . . On which option are you betting? LOL!! . . . Bedard and the Blackhawks open the regular season on Oct. 10 in Pittsburgh against F Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Bettman vows to build a whole new city in Arizona if he has to.

Produce

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Geoff Walker is the new hockey operations general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. . . . In each of the past two seasons, he guided a Superior International Junior Hockey League team to the Centennial Cup tournament, getting there with the Red Lake Miners in 2022 and Kam River Fighting Walleye last season. . . . In Drayton Valley, Walker replaces Corey Bricknell, who stepped up from associate coach to take over from Sean Brown on Jan. 10. The team had announced on June 5 that Bricknell would be returning for a second season, but that apparently isn’t going to happen. . . . Bricknell still shows up on the Thunder website, now as an Edmonton scout. . . .

Cole McCaig is returning to the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers as their assistant general manager and assistant coach. He has agreed to a one-year contract extension. McCaig has been with the Bombers since signing on as assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.

Lew Morrison, who played with the Flin Flon Bombers, died on Saturday. He was 75. . . . A native of Gainsborough, Sask., he grew up in Hartney, Man. . . . He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with the eighth overall pick of the NHL’s 1968 draft. He played his first three NHL seasons with the Flyers, then went on to the Atlanta Flames, who claimed him in an expansion draft, Washington Capitals, who also grabbed him in an expansion draft, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished with career totals of 39 goals and 52 assists. . . . Morrison retired after scoring six times and adding 14 assists in 65 games with the AHL’s Binghamton Dusters in 1977-78. . . . In 1966-67, he helped the Bombers to the MJHL championship with 25 goals and 40 assists in 44 games. The next season, Morrison had 26 goals and 23 assist with the Bombers in what was then the Western Canadian Junior Hockey League. . . . He was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Thongs

Will K.C. bring sunshine to Wild? . . . Patience pays off for Herauf . . . Giants confirm that they need head coach

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Ferris Backmeyer’s older sisters, Ksenia (left) and Tavia, were able to take her for a stroll on Wednesday. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Things continue to go swimmingly for Ferris Backmeyer, the six-year-old from Kamloops who underwent a kidney transplant overnight June 29 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. . . . In fact, Ferris and her older sisters — Ksenia and Tavia — were able to go for a bit of a stroll on Wednesday. . . . As for what’s next, her mother, Lindsey, reports that the catheter that was installed because of a urine leak is to come out this morning (Friday). If that goes well through the weekend, Ferris will be discharged to Ronald McDonald House on Monday. And if things continue on the right track next week, the Backmeyers could be looking at a transfer to Vancouver and B.C. Children’s Hospital shortly after that. . . . CFJC-TV has a piece on Ferris with an interview with Lindsey right here.

Thursday was another busy day on the WHL coaching front, what with two new head coaches introduced — one of those was a huge surprise — and a veteran head coach leaving for the AHL. . . . At the end of the day, only one WHL franchise was left without a head coach . . . although Marty Murray, the Brandon Wheat Kings’ general manager who took over as head coach early last season, has yet to say whether he’ll return to the bench.

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Kevin Constantine is back in the WHL for a third go-round, this time as head coach of the Wenatchee Wild (nee Winnipeg Ice/Kootenay Ice/Edmonton Ice). . . . Constantine, 64, agreed to a four-year contract with the Wild. He spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the Hungarian team Fehérvár AV19 that plays in the Austrian-based ICE Hockey League. . . . He has been coaching in Europe for the past six seasons. . . . Before heading overseas, Constantine did two four-season stints (2003-07, 2013-17) as head coach of the Everett Silvertips. . . . He was named the WHL’s coach of the year for 2003-04. That was the Silvertips’ first season and they reached the WHL final. . . . His coaching resume includes seven years as an NHL head coach, split among the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils. . . . Constantine takes over the Wild from James Patrick, the team’s head coach for the previous six seasons while it was in Cranbrook and Winnipeg. . . . Chris Clark, the head coach of the Wild while it was in the BCHL, will work as associate head coach, with a full-time assistant coach yet to be hired. . . . Leigh Mendelson is the goaltender coach and director of recruiting. . . . The Wild’s news release is right here.

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After eight seasons as an assistant coach with his hometown team, Brad Herauf has been named head coach of the Regina Pats. He takes over from John Paddock, who announced his retirement on Monday. . . . Alan Millar, the Pats’ new general manager, is more than a little familiar with Herauf. Before leaving for a two-year run with Hockey Canada, Millar was in the Moose Jaw Warriors’ front office. . . . Herauf actually took over as Regina’s interim head coach for a bit late in the 2021-22 season with Paddock away as he dealt with some health concerns. . . . Herauf, 40, was on the coaching staff of the Regina Pat Canadians, a U18 AAA team, before joining the Pats. . . . While introducing Herauf as head coach, the Pats also announced that Ken Schneider will be returning as assistant coach and that goaltender coach Daniel Wapple also will be back. Schneider is preparing for his third season in that role. Wapple joined the team during last season. . . . The Pats are looking for another full-time assistant to fill the opening created by Herauf’s promotion. . . . Tyler Shire of the Regina Leader-Post has a story right here.

——

The Vancouver Giants confirmed on Thursday what Steve Ewen of Postmedia reported on Wednesday — head coach Michael Dyck is leaving to join the Toronto Marlies as an assistant coach. The Marlies are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. . . . The Giants now are the only one of the WHL’s 22 teams without a head coach. . . . Dyck, 54, had been the Giants’ head coach for five seasons. . . . In his first season there (2018-19), the Giants reached the WHL final where they lost Game 7, 3-2 in OT, to the host Prince Albert Raiders. . . . “The Giants are a first-class organization,” Dyck told Ewen, “and a lot of that has to do with the stability (majority owner Ron Toigo) has set up here. The ownership group, the management group, the players . . . it’s been just an amazing experience. And then living in a city like Vancouver. It couldn’t have been any better.” . . . Ewen’s story is right here.

Triathlon

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Climate wondering how much it has to change before humans notice.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Everett Silvertips posted an item on Twitter on Thursday afternoon that featured a photo of a goaltender and this message: “Thank you, Tim!” . . . That would seem to indicate that the Silvertips have released Swiss G Tim Metzger, 18. The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder was picked up in the CHL’s 2002 import draft. He made 17 appearances with Everett last season, going 4-5-0, 3.35, .888. . . . Earlier this week, the Silvertips signed Finnish F Julius Miettinen, 17, who was selected in this year’s import draft. Their roster also includes Czechia F Dominik Rymon, 19, who had two goals and nine assists in 18 games last season. . . .

The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express has signed 2005-born F Grady Lenton, who played last season with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. On June 7, the Rockets dealt Lenton, a first-round WHL draft pick in 2024 and a second-rounder in 2027 to the Seattle Thunderbirds for F Tij Iginla. . . . Last season, Lenton had four goals and four assists in 59 regular-season games with the Rockets. . . .

Chris Price is the new head coach of the junior B Chilliwack Jets of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. . . . Last season, he was on the coaching staff of the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs. Earlier, he spent three seasons as head coach and assistant general manager with the PJHL’s Aldergrove Kodiaks. . . . At the same time, majority owner Clayton Robinson, last season’s head coach, now is the Jets’ full-time president and general manager.

DietCoke

THINKING OUT LOUD: If you haven even the slightest interest in Canadian history — and even if you don’t — and if you are on Twitter, make sure to follow Craig Baird (@CraigBaird). I guarantee that you will learn things every day about this country’s past. The work this guy does is amazing. . . . ICYMI, the Edmonton Elks lost their 20th straight home game on Thursday, dropping an ugly 37-29 decision to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of a whole lot of empty seats. The Elks now share the professional sporting record for most consecutive home losses with the 1953 St. Louis Browns, who moved to Baltimore once that season was over. The Elks will have two weeks to stew over this one. Will Chris Jones still be running things in Edmonton when the B.C. Lions come calling on July 29? He has so many titles there that he likely would have to fire himself and that isn’t going to happen. . . . With head coach Michael Dyck having left the Vancouver Giants, as you will have read here earlier, do you think majority owner Ron Toigo’s first call was to James Patrick, the former head coach of the Winnipeg Ice?

Kidney

——

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Tortilla

‘Low-key’ and ‘boring’ exciting for Backmeyer family . . . Pats lose Paddock to retirement; Millar gets half his job . . . ECHL goes into Lake Tahoe

Ferris071023
Ferris Backmeyer is looking happy and satisfied as she recovers from a kidney transplant in a Toronto hospital (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Never have words like “low-key” and “boring” been as exciting as when they appear in postings from Lindsey Backmeyer, whose daughter Ferris, 6, continues to recover from a kidney transplant.

FerrisLogoThe Backmeyers — Pat, Lindsey’s husband, and their two other daughters, Tavia and Ksenia — are from Kamloops. They have been in Toronto for a month. Ferris, who was diagnosed with kidney disease early in her young life, underwent a transplant overnight on June 29 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

“Things have been pretty low-key and incredibly boring . . . just the way we like it,” Lindsey wrote on Facebook on Monday. “Happy birthday to my ma yesterday!! We couldn’t be doing this right now as a family if it weren’t for her!! The bigs are definitely keeping her young and busy!!!”

Lindsey’s mother, Leslie Maydaniuk, also is in Toronto, and she has been instrumental in helping with the two oldest girls (aka the bigs).

As for Ferris, it seems she isn’t likely to be discharged from hospital for a few days. She has been experiencing some urine leakage, so the medical team had to put in a catheter.

“Urology is pretty adamant the catheter stays in until Friday so we have a week still at least before a potential discharge,” Lindsey wrote. “Her drain isn’t outputting anything and her kidney is still very happy. I’m cool with waiting if that’s what they think is best.

Ferris2071023
Ferris has been keeping busy with lots of crafts, including some nice and messy finger-painting. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

“It just feels a little dreamy to expect we will get through to discharge without any drama. She threatens it a bit at times but for the most part is behaving herself. Maybe boring is our new jam!!”

Boring hasn’t really been part of the Backmeyer family’s lives for more than five years, so it’s understandable if it’s hard to get used to at this point. Ferris, like most, if not all, six-year-olds, doesn’t do boring well at all.

“Ferris is the least impressed with being bored but the hospital does a decent job of trying to keep her busy,” according to Lindsey. “The days are loooong yet going by quickly. We’ve been here a month now already!! It’s exactly where we need to be right now so settling into that idea and just accepting where we are at.”

Meanwhile, Grandma and the bigs are in for a treat — like 10 days in California, starting on Friday.

Lindsey’s brother “has offered to bring the girls and grandma to California for a visit,” Lindsey wrote. “It was super sweet that the girls were worried about Ferris and felt sad for her, but I reminded them that their lives are super important too and this is an opportunity they won’t want to miss out on!! Hanging out with their auntie, uncle and cousins!! Should be a blast!! They are incredibly excited and I’m super excited for them!”

If anyone deserves a trip like this, it is Tavia and Ksenia. It’s easy to forget about them in all that has gone on around this family over the past five-plus years. But they’ve been part-and-parcel of the entire adventure, too, and they have shown an inordinate amount of bravery, courage and love through it all. So it’s good to see something like this happen for them.

After having spent 52 of his 69 years in junior or pro hockey, John Paddock announced his retirement on Monday in Regina. He had been the Regina Pats’ vice-president of hockey operations and head coach.

Paddock, a native of Brandon, will help the organization as a senior advisor.

He joined the Pats prior to the 2014-15 season. He has been the senior VP of hockey operations, VP of hockey operations, general manager and/or head coach at various times.

Alan Millar, most recently with Hockey Canada after a stint with the Moose Jaw Warriors, has taken over from Paddock as VP of hockey operations. Millar said the Pats’ coaching staff may be in place later this week.

“When I signed a new contract in ’18 after the Memorial Cup, it was for this length of time,” Paddock told a news conference. “That was in the back of my mind that it would be time at age 69.

“I don’t want to talk too much about it but the health issues I had a year-and-a-half ago . . . probably cinched it that this would be the time.”

Early in 2022, while he was being treated for lymphoma, Paddock tested positive for COVID-19. Because of the lymphoma treatments, he was immuno-compromised. All of this led him to a nasty place.

“I got sick,” Paddock told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post in September 2022, “and then got really sick.”

As a result, Paddock wasn’t able to coach the Pats for the final 10 weeks of the 2021-22 season.

While with the Pats, Paddock twice was named the WHL’s coach of the year (2015, 2017) , and he was the executive of the year in 2017.

He is a former NHL player, assistant coach and head coach. He played in the AHL, winning two Calder Cups, then won three more as a head coach. He is in the AHL Hall of Fame.

Millar, 56, had been working as Hockey Canada’s director of player personnel. He was responsible for Canada’s U18 and national junior teams for the past two seasons. The U18 team won two gold medals during Millar’s time — the 2021 IIHF World Championship and the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup — and the national junior team won the 2022 and 2023 championships.

Before joining Hockey Canada, Millar was with the Warriors for 11 seasons — the first two as director of hockey operations and the last nine as general manager.

Picasso

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Mat Barrett has joined the Swift Current Broncos as their broadcast and community relations manager. Yes, he will handle their play-by-play. Barrett spent the past six seasons doing play-by-play with the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. For the past two seasons, Barrett, who is from Edmonton, also was their manager of marketing, business and office administration. . . . In Swift Current, Barrett will take over from Craig Beauchemin, who left in May after four years with the Broncos. . . .

The QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix has hired Philippe Sauvé as its new general manager, and Gilles Bouchard as head coach. . . . Sauvé is a former player agent who played in the NHL as a goaltender. Of late, he worked as a player agent with his father Robert. . . . Bouchard, who got a four-year deal, spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. . . . They take over from Stéphane Julien, who now is an assistant coach with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. . . .

The BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks and Tyler Shattock, their head coach and assistant general manager, have agreed to a two-year contract extension. Shattock, who is from Salmon Arm, has been the head coach since stepping up from assistant coach during the 2019-20 season. He joined the organization as an assistant coach in October 2018. . . . With Shattock as head coach, the Silverbacks are 81-47-20 in the regular season. In 2022-23, Salmon Arm reached the Interior Conference final for the first time since 2008-09. . . . He played four seasons (2006-10) in the WHL — three-plus with the Kamloops Blazers and the last 30 games with the Calgary Hitmen as they won the 2009-10 WHL title. . . .

The BCHL’s Penticton Vees have promoted Matt Miller, who had been an assistant coach/video coach, to director of hockey operations. Miller, who is from Penticton, has been with the Vees since 2020. Earlier, he spent a couple of seasons with the West Kelowna Warriors. . . . The Vees also added Matthew Vanden Berg to their staff as an assistant coach. For the past two seasons he was a volunteer assistant coach at the U of Maine. . . . Former WHL D Cam Barker has left the Vees after two seasons as an assistant coach. The Vees won two BCHL titles while he was with them. Barker played four seasons (2002-06) with the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .

Eric Labrosse is the new general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard, a team that plays out of The Pas. According to a news release, Labrosse “has many years of coaching experience ranging from France2, USports and most recently serving as the assistant coach for the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL.” . . . Labrosse replaces Doug Johnson, who spent one season with the Blizzard and now is general manager and head coach with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires.

Misinfo

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Driver chasing 15-minute traffic delay by parking in middle of road put flashers on so it’s totally fine.

JUST NOTES:

The ECHL added its 29th franchise on Monday with the announcement that there will be a team playing out of Lake Tahoe when the 2024-25 season arrives. Tim Tebow, the former college and NFL quarterback, is part of the ownership. The as-yet unnamed franchise will play out of the soon-to-be completed Tahoe Blue Event Center, which is located in Stateline, Nev., and will seat more than 4,200 for hockey.

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——

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Grad

Ferris’s kidney ‘happy and making a lot of pee’ . . . Surgeon says thanks for letting team be part of case . . . Mother: ‘Maybe this is miracle we’ve been waiting for’

Sisters
Ferris Backmeyer has been able to get together with sisters Ksenia (left) and Tavia as she recovers from a kidney transplant. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Transplant surgeons are a special breed; they really are.

When Dorothy underwent her kidney transplant almost 10 years ago at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, the surgeon told me there wasn’t any need to hang around the hospital that day. He would, he said, call me at the hotel in which we were staying once they were done.

Yeah, I thought, a busy surgeon is going to take time out of his day to call me! Sure thing!! So I was in the hotel room at 2:30 p.m., when the phone rang. I picked up, fully expecting to hear an assistant or a nurse or a case worker on the other end. But, no, it was the doctor and he had all the time in the world for me and my questions, and that’s something I won’t ever forget.

That brings us to Lindsey Backmeyer and her Kamloops family. Ferris, the six-year-old daughter of Lindsey and husband Pat, underwent a kidney transplant a week ago at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Shortly after the procedure had been completed, Lindsey received a visit from the transplant surgeon.

Among other things, Lindsey wrote on Facebook, “He thanked me from the bottom of his heart and on behalf of everyone involved in her case for trusting them to be a part of her story.”

Is that special, or what? But these angels of the operating room are like that.

Lindsey added: “His thank you was so genuine you can’t help but love the guy. Cutting edge medicine is what i hoped for and this guy and his team delivered.

“Ummm, no sir, the thanks is all to you. For that, and to all of them. Thanks for being so friggin good at what you do!! My girl deserved this shot just as much as the next child and these guys made this happen for her.”

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The surgeon who led the team that performed Ferris Backmeyer’s kidney transplant provided her mother, Lindsey, with a water-colour painting of the new kidney. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

The surgeon also had a photo of Ferris’s new kidney, along with “his beautiful watercolour picture of her transplant.”

Is that amazing, or what?

“I had just fallen asleep when he came in to tell me they were done,” Lindsen wrote. “I was too distracted to really let him know what I thought of that picture . . . it’s beautiful. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. . . . I couldn’t love them more.”

As for Ferris, Lindsey reported late Friday night that “while things haven’t gone super smooth they are still going very well. The kidney is happy and making a lot of pee. Yay for a happy kidney!!”

If you’ve been following along, you will recall that there had been some concern about a urine leak.

Lindsey reported that it means Ferris’s catheter will be in place for another week before being removed. The good news is that “most urine is coming out of the catheter and minimal amounts are coming out of the drain. Seems solid to me!”

According to Lindsey, Ferris “had another great day. From a post-surgical recovery standpoint, she’s ready to bust out. But she’s not ready.”

In fact, Ferris will be in hospital for at least another week because of the catheter and the need to give her heparin via IV.

And now, according to her mother, she’s battling boredom.

“She made three batches of slime today. Did musical therapy and a lot of crafts. She also ate a ridiculous amount of food,” Lindsey wrote. “I forgot just how messy eating can be.”

Sounds like a normal six-year-old to me.

Lindsey’s excitement was more than evident in her latest posting. In fact, it practically leapt from my computer screen, especially at the end.

Ferris, Lindsey said, “is very officially on the other side. Doesn’t mean she’s outta the woods. Or there won’t be any complications. Just means they are post-transplant complications and not due to having end-stage renal disease.”

After six years of dealing with end-stage renal disease, please try to understand just how large this is.

“It’s a new world,” Lindsey added, “and we wouldn’t have been given this opportunity if it weren’t for Leah Scott and the urology team at Toronto Sick Kids.”

Scott, who also is from Kamloops, surrendered a kidney through the paired exchange program so that Ferris could get one via transplant.

Lindsey continued: “Forever friggin grateful for this chance. I’ve listened to this podcast where it says I believe in miracles. Do you? I friggin do. I believe in miracles. I always have.

“Maybe, just maybe . . . this is the miracle we have been waiting for.”

And let’s not forget that there also are two older sisters — Tavia, 11, and Ksenia, 9 — making this journey, too.

“Outside of that,” Lindsey wrote, “Ksenia is sick. Which has me a bit panicked. They won’t visit anymore. Hopefully it’s not already too late.”

It’s true, you know. A mother’s work, and worrying, is never done.

Ferris went for a walk. How was your Tuesday? . . . Ball hockey gold for three WHLers . . . SJHL commish gets multi-year deal

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A smiling Ferris Backmeyer continues to recover from a kidney transplant at a Toronto hospital. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Ferris went for a walk on Tuesday. Yes, she did!

Ferris Backmeyer, the six-year-old from Kamloops who underwent a kidney transplant last week, continues her recovery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

As her mother, Lindsey, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday: “Post op day 5 . . . she’s actually slaying all of this. Being sooo incredibly brave.”

That doesn’t mean things have been easy to this point, but everything seems to be pointing in the right direction.

“It’s not been easy at all,” Lindsey wrote, “but it also hasn’t been the hardest thing we’ve ever done. Not so far anyways.”

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Ferris climbed out of bed and enjoyed a stroll down a hospital hallway on Tuesday. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

If you’ve been following along, you know that there were some issues over the weekend. An ultrasound detected a bladder leak. According to Lindsey, that is “a somewhat common complication post-transplant . . . likely a clog in the catheter created back pressure and the leak happened. Catheters in post-op tiny humans are super tricky to manage. The tubing kinks so easily. Clots off so easily. She has a large amount of urine still leaking out of her drain.”

The really good news is that through it all the new kidney is motoring right along. Her creatine readings are good and Lindsey said that Ferris is having “solid labs” and “progressing really nicely otherwise!”

They freed her hands from IV hookups “so she is way less frustrated and can play. In fact, she played until 4:30 a.m. last night!! . . . She made it out for her first walk yesterday and made it look easy.”

Ferris also is eating well enough that Lindsey reported “they’ve stopped all daytime feeds . . . working towards getting all the extra fluid off without upsetting her kidney. She’s 2kg heavier than she was on surgery day and there’s nooooo way it was a 2kg kidney!!”

Adding weight is a really big deal with Ferris because that has been an issue for a lot of her young life and has impeded her route to a transplant in the past.

All-in-all, a tired Lindsey wrote, she “really couldn’t be happier with how things have gone. I feel like looking back we won’t even remember the hard times that much because the payoff is going to be soooo big!

“I’m certain if we make it home to Kamloops with this kidney, people are gonna be floored when they see her! She will be a totally different kid in the best ways possible!!”

A city awaits . . .

Polka

Craig West and the Tri-City Americans announced in April that he was stepping aside as their play-by-play voice. West, 68 this month, says he hasn’t retired, but that he simply is moving along down life’s highway. . . . West, who started in the WHL by calling Spokane Chiefs’ game, ended up doing 2,584 games. . . . Jeff Morrow, the former sports editor of the Tri-City Herald, spent some time with West and also touched base with a few hockey people and friends. It all resulted in a terrific look at West and his career . . . to this point. And that piece is right here.

F Conner Roulette of the Spokane Chiefs was named the tournament MVP after helping Team Canada to a gold medal at the International Street and Ball Hockey Foundation’s U20 Ball Hockey World Championship in Liberec, Czechia. . . . Roulette, Team Canada’s captain, had three goals as Canada beat Slovakia, 10-3, in the final. . . . Canada’s roster also included F Dawson Pasternak of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who had three goals and three assists in the final, and F Evan Friesen of the Wenatchee Wild.

Birds

James Patrick, who was the head coach of the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice for the past six seasons, thinks he’ll be taking a season away, with the franchise having relocated to Wenatchee, Wash., where it will play as the Wild. . . . Patrick, whose contract expired with the end of the 2022-23 season, told Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press that he had planned to coach at least one more season in Winnipeg. Sawatzky wrote that Patrick “had heard speculation about the possibility of a franchise move but only found out about the sale following an announcement by the league.” In other words, the Ice’s owners didn’t inform him of the move. Hmmm. . . . Sawatzky’s story is right here.

THE COACHING GAME:

Josh Dixon, an associate coach with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars for the past two seasons, has left the WHL team to take over as head coach of the U of Guelph Gryphons. . . . In Guelph, Dixon takes over from Shawn Camp, who ran the program for 16 seasons. . . . Camp retired following the 2022-23 season. . . .

Benoit Desrosiers has agreed to a three-year contract as the new head coach of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. Desrosiers, 34, has worked as an assistant coach with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, Sherbrooke Phoenix and Quebec Remparts in past seasons. He spent 2022-23 as an assistant coach with the Memorial Cup-champion Remparts. . . . In Gatineau, he replaces Louis Robitaille, who spent three years in the position. . . .

The AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats have hired Brad Rihela as their head coach. He had been with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, as assistant GM and associate head coach, for the previous five seasons. . . . In Lloydminster, Rihela takes over from Nigel Dube, who remains with the organization as general manager. Dube had been the head coach since Nov. 12, 2018. . . . The Bobcats also announced that Jeff Woywitka has been named associate head coach and skill development coach. He had joined the team after last season’s Christmas break. . . .

The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express has hired Brett Sonne as an assistant coach. Sonne, from Maple Ridge, B.C., played four seasons (2005-09) with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. For the past two seasons he has been an assistant coach with the junior B Ridge Meadows Flames of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. . . . Sonne’s brother, Brennan, is the head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. . . .

The AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints are in the market for a head coach after six seasons with Bram Stephen at the helm. The Saints announced Stephen’s departure on Wednesday, although no reason was provided. . . . “I will look fondly on my time in Spruce Grove as I look forward to the next opportunities in my career,” Stephen said in a news release. . . . He guided the Saints to the AJHL championship in 2018.

Think

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Kyle McIntyre has signed a multi-year deal to continue as commissioner of the SJHL. He is heading into his second season leading the 12-team league. . . . From a news release: In 2022-23, “the SJHL improved overall broadcast standards for both the fans and saw significant improvements in followers on all the league’s social media channels. Attendance levels over the season averaged 674 fans per game with over 222,498 fans for the season. In playoffs the average attendance was 1,137 per game and the league saw over 38,641 fans attend playoffs games. The league also saw a record number of NCAA and USport player commitments.” . . .

D Blake Heward, who cleared WHL 20-year-old waivers, has signed on with the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins. Heward had four goals and 21 assists in 103 regular-season WHL games, split between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Calgary Hitmen. . . .

F Kyle Bochek, who played last season with the Vancouver Giants, has cleared WHL waivers and is a free agent. Bochek, 20, had one goal and three assists in 48 games with the Giants last season. In 2021-22, he had three assists in 30 games. . . . 

F Jared Davidson, who played the past five seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed a one-year contract with the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Davidson, who will turn 21 on Friday, had 38 goals and 44 assists in 60 games with the WHL-champion Thunderbirds last season. He was a fifth-round selection by the Canadiens in the NHL’s 2022 draft.

Merge

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Cat

Ferris encounters some speed bumps . . . Blades, Broncos swing deal . . . T-Birds lose director of player personnel to NHL

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A chipper Ferris Backmeyer, 6, continues her recovery from a kidney transplant in a Toronto hospital. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

It seems that there almost always will be speed bumps in the recovery process after a kidney transplant.

Ferris Backmeyer encountered a couple on Saturday at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where the six-year-old from Kamloops underwent a transplant overnight Thursday.

With all that her family has been through over the past few years, they knew that this could happen. Still, that didn’t make things any easier.

“I knew there were gonna be bumps but tonight has been way too hard for my FerrisLogomama heart!!” Lindsey wrote on Facebook early, early Saturday morning. “(Friday) night was a bit tough in that I wasn’t able to sleep at her bedside and she woke frequently asking for me. So I didn’t get even a minutes sleep. Pat and I traded out and I slept during the day.”

And then Saturday started out “pretty good” but . . .

“She required (norepinephrine) overnight but weaned off of it when she woke up,” Lindsey continued. “She slept most the morning into the early afternoon. Then was pretty good. Her urine output really slowed down. Was hardly meeting targets but everyone was happy with the bloodwork and the urine output was considered acceptable. She got moved out of ICU in the evening at shift change.

“Well it musta been the elevation because she literally got crumpy as soon as we got upstairs. So much pain. Urine output dropped to less than 10mls an hour for a couple hours and then it was zero for the next two. She had a big jump in the output from her drain. The no urine output and intense pain for hours and then vomiting was breaking me.

“I was frustrated that it didn’t feel like much was being done. We couldn’t give more pain meds yet. No labs. Then the nurse told me they would order an ultrasound for the morning. I had only spoken to the resident that had come by to assess Ferris. She wasn’t a nephrology resident even and I just got incredibly articulate!!

“Magically . . . nephro came to the bedside. Ordered all the things including a stat ultrasound. They have albumin and lasix and she had really decent output. We just nicely got back from ultrasound. The preliminary report mentioned a narrowing in the ureter but good blood flow and no obvious big collections. Sigghhhh.

“Some of her tests aren’t back yet. She could still have a urine leak. But she made pee. She’s finally comfortable and asleep. Hoping for a bit of rest myself. The nurse is pretty busy with her. I suspect she will be in here most the rest of her shift.

“This is the first real bump so far and it scared the crap outta me. Feel better my girl!”

KFC

THE COACHING GAME:

The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs are poised to name Sylvain Favreau as their next head coach. He had resigned as the head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads a week ago. With Drummondville, he takes over from Éric Bélanger, who resigned last month after just 63 games as head coach, 54 of them in the regular season. . . . That leaves six QMJHL teams without a head coach — the Cape Breton Eagles, Gatineau Olympiques, Halifax, Quebec Remparts, Rimouski Oceanic and Sherbrooke Phoenix.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Swift Current Broncos have acquired 2005-born D Tomas Zizka from the Saskatoon Blades for a conditional sixth-round selection in the WHL’s 2026 draft. Ziska, from Zlin, Czech Republic, had two assists in 32 regular-season games with the Blades last season. Saskatoon selected him in the CHL’s 2022 import draft. . . . The trade frees up the Blades to make one pick in Wednesday’s CHL import draft. Their second import slot is filled by F Egor Sidorov, who was their leading scorer last season. . . .

Cal Filson, who had been the Seattle Thunderbirds’ director of player personnel, has left the WHL team to work for the Chicago Blackhawks as an amateur scout. He had been with the Thunderbirds for 14 seasons, the last eight as director of player personnel.

THINKING OUT LOUD: Take a few minutes out of your day and track down a Washington Post feature written by Sally Jenkins that carries this headline: Bitter rivals. Beloved friends. Survivors. . . . It’s the story of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, their rivalry and their friendship, their battles with cancer and a whole lot more. . . . And it’ll be the best thing you read today. I guarantee it. . . . ESPN’s NFL coverage without Suzy Kolber and Steve Young? Say it ain’t so. . . . There isn’t much better than watching the Baltimore Orioles on TV with Jim Palmer, the ol’ right-hander, working as the analyst. . . . Is the hockey season over yet?

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

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