It’s been a tumultuous couple of years for Lac La Biche health enthusiast Sue LaPierre.
A personal trainer, fitness instructor, and holistic nutrition and wellness coach, she has been a leading face in promoting a healthy lifestyle for the community for over 30 years. Keeping that joy and commitment to the community alive throughout the years has been one of her passions, LaPierre said.
But in her personal life, dealing with family illness and the impact of losing a loved one in recent years, it’s been one of the most difficult times of her life.
In May of 2019 LaPierre’s mother, local artist Louise Piquette, was diagnosed with leukemia and after a difficult but courageous battle, the 77-year-old passed away just three months later.
“At the end, it was just too hard,” LaPierre told Lakeland This Week, explaining it was her mom’s choice to halt treatments. “She said ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”
Passing three days later, LaPierre says there is some solace in knowing her mother was at peace with her decision, so incredibly close with God, which gave their family the strength to let her go, and that she would no longer be suffering.
“Nobody wants their loved ones to go through that; we didn’t want her to suffer. She lived a beautiful life,” said LaPierre.
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Dealing with the loss of her mother—her best friend—was a difficult journey that caused an immense amount of grief that she is still healing from today. But just a few months later, in February of 2020, the COVID pandemic hit and shortly after, LaPierre’s husband of 35 years, Brad, was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“I was struggling off and on with the grief of losing my mom and hitting a really big low at that time, but I didn’t want to tell anybody that because I’m a mom, I’m a fitness leader and I’d like to think of myself as a community ambassador for wellness. I’m supposed to be strong for everyone. You don’t want people to think that you're not handling it. I didn’t want anyone to worry about me,” she said, choosing to tell her story in the hopes it may help others who are struggling to be care-givers and those suffering from illness.
With the diagnosis, LaPierre and their five children supported Brad through his journey by utilizing all the support systems her family learned when caring for her mother…but the COVID pandemic presented additional difficulties, she said.
“I’m glad my mom wasn’t around for any of this because that would have been incredibly scary for her; for all of us,” she said, explaining the need for heightened pandemic measures in everyday scenarios.
During Louise’s illness, her immune system was severely compromised and she contracted pneumonia two times, so LaPierre, who is immersed in the fitness world and constantly around people, had to pick up new routines to make sure she wouldn't compromise her mom's health while continuing to be one of her primary care-givers. It proved to be a similar challenge for her husband’s care during the pandemic.
The routine included showering immediately when coming home, disinfecting surfaces and learning about what food would support a healthy immune system, she said.
Confronting grief
It has been a lot for the family to deal with, says LaPierre. But they have pulled together, coming even closer as they have faced the difficult challenges one day at a time, but realizes that each and every case is different.
“We just did it. We went into ‘Go mode’ and I feel like it lifted me out of the hole I was in. It was a distraction where I need to be strong for someone again and that’s OK. Amongst all of that I realized too that I have to just acknowledge the sadness, grief and stress that I’m going through…Once I did that, I felt the weight come off me.”
Today, Brad's journey—two years since his diagnosis—his health is improving, she said.
“His cancer treatment is working—he has prostate cancer—he always will, but the numbers are well in the normal range and getting lower and lower. So far—knock on wood—he’s good and that’s our upside through all of this.”
Trying
Moving forward with the positive news, keeping that momentum going is the goal, but considering the ongoing pandemic, they are trying their best to be prepared.
“We are doing everything we can in terms of healthy nutrition and lifestyle, but anyone can get COVID. We continue to wear our masks” says LaPierre and keeping a smaller social circle throughout the pandemic and today—considering her husband's diagnosis —is a good practice.
For those who are trying to help, support and understand someone with a serious, life-threatening issue, Lapierre says personal care, mental and physical health is vital.
“What I’m researching, learning and putting into practice with healthy nutrition and lifestyle is honestly very empowering. It helps me psychologically to know that my body has what it needs to take on whatever comes it's way. I know that I’m optimizing my chances of living a healthy long life—that's really empowering and I am excited to share that knowledge with everyone I can.”
LaPierre also encourages people to admit they need help when issues get too big, and to seek out community supports that can help.
Ultimately, anything can happen in life, says LaPierre, and remaining positive through it all is vital. “We all have the power to make healthy and positive changes to our health. Being active, minimizing stress, getting plenty of rest, fresh air and healthy nourishment is all within our reach. It’s a lifestyle we should all adopt”, she adds — even when a crisis falls within a pandemic. “COVID's been a distraction for cancer; cancer has been a distraction for COVID…you just focus on the good things. There is so much that outweighs the bad.”
* With files from Rob McKinley
