A couple years ago I offered a freelance writing course through the City. That’s when I met Cornelius Van Dyke. He wheeled into the second floor classroom at Sir John Franklin High School with the help of his wife, Cherryl, iPad in his good hand, looking like he meant business.
He told me he liked inspirational stories and had already been published in Reader’s Digest.
One night his wife Cherryl informed me Cornelius could not make it…rather, he could not make it to the second floor. The elevator wouldn’t budge. As I raced around trying to find someone with the know-how to fix it, I was already thinking we could move the class into the front foyer downstairs, if we had to. We didn’t, but it was a glimpse into the daily mobility struggles for people with a seated vantage point on the world.
Ever since we met, I’ve been hoping Cornelius would give EDGE YK readers a sense of that world. At last, he has. “My wheelchair is my introduction,” he writes in his story, but it is certainly just that, a beginning.
Also inspiring is the delightful story of how Ndilo matriarch Muriel Betsina babysat for an eagle mother, who returned the favour, and then some. Mark Rendell, our writerly wizard on EDGE online, offers that up.
I’ve written a series on our website comparing Yellowknife and Whitehorse, a sampling of which is in this issue. You might find it useful if you’ve ever thought about making the move to that ‘other’ northern capital with a colour in its name.
Laura Bain made a move from Vancouver to Yellowknife while sorting through the complicated demands of bi-polar rapid cycling, which she writes about. She also did a TedX talk to try to help remove the stigma of mental illness.
We live in an incredible city rich in diversity of experiences. I’m grateful for all the people who generously share those with the magazine. As always, my inbox is open 24/7 for your story ideas, editor@edgeyk.ca, when your muse pays a visit.
