Popeye to puppy love Family life, colleagues & leafy greens keep chief nurse going
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/05/2020 (1597 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
As the chief nursing officer for Shared Health Manitoba, Lanette Siragusa has become a familiar face — and a reassuring voice — to Manitobans during the pandemic via the daily briefings she delivers alongside Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer.
For Siragusa, helping the province navigate the pandemic over the past eight weeks has involved working long days — sometimes 12, sometimes 14 hours — seven days a week. But she’s been buoyed by the way her fellow Manitobans have dealt with a stressful, scary time.
“The weeks kind of roll into months, actually,” she says. “It’s been quite a journey since we started our incident command in early February, then we got our first case March 12. It’s been amazing from the point of view that so many people have come together to manage this pandemic. I’m especially proud to be a citizen of Manitoba, because I think everybody was both responsive and responsible with heeding the public health orders, taking it seriously, respecting each other, the space, the hand-washing.
“As I think about the preparation leading up to it and the uncertainty of what was going to come, the last two weeks have been a bit of a relief and certainly a sense of pride that all Manitobans really did what they needed to do.”
A born-and-raised Winnipegger, Siragusa has a wide-ranging career in health care, working in high-risk labour and delivery, community health, teaching and research. She holds a graduate degree in nursing administration from the University of Manitoba’s College of Nursing in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, where she’s also an adjunct professor.
Before her current role at Shared Health, Siragusa was program director for surgery with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
“I find balance where I can, but my No. 1 priority is to do my part to get us through this pandemic.”
Like any good leader, Siragusa is quick to credit her great team. “They make it easier on me,” she says.
That’s true of her team at home, too: her husband, Stino, and their three children, Austin, 22, Amanda, 20, and Jared, 18, who are all self-isolating at home.
“I secretly love having them all at home,” she says with a laugh. “I appreciate all their help.”
Siragusa has a list of things she’s looking forward to doing post-pandemic — including getting a haircut, hosting a huge barbecue with friends and family, going to hockey games, reading a book. But right now, she’s got a job to do.
“I do what I do because we have to. It’s necessary. I find balance where I can, but my No. 1 priority is to do my part to get us through this pandemic.”
Here are five things Siragusa can’t live without during the coronavirus crisis:
1. Family
“They have been a tremendous support to me in this busy time. They’ve really picked up the slack at home. They’ve been just a great support for me just in terms of letting me do what I have to do. My kids are doing the dishes and helping out around the house and doing the grocery shopping — keeping the household going but also bringing joy to me when I am at home.
“It’s good to have that family unit and be together during this time when everyone’s isolating. That sense of togetherness is good. It’s a good part of my day.”
2. Smartphone
“When I was growing up, my dad worked for Water Resources and, every flood season, he would get shipped out to western Manitoba and manage the flood situation. And I think to myself, 10, 15 years ago, it would be so different without the technology we have available to us. My smartphone, especially — just the ability to do conference calls and review documents and respond to emails. There’s just so much going and it gives you that connection and really timely response to manage the situation.”
3. “Popeye” smoothie
“I have that every single day. In it is spinach, yogurt, banana, peanut butter and milk. It’s really filling, and it’s my healthy thing I do every day.
“I’m always on the run and there are times where I don’t eat for a long time during the day. If I can start my day with my Popeye smoothie, I’m full and feel like I’ve done my body good, and I can go those long stretches if I need to.”
4. Puppy love
“I have a six-month-old mini goldendoodle (Bailey). She is so full of energy and joy and mischief. I try, every day, to take her for a walk in the evening. I actually turn off my phone. I don’t listen to music, I don’t listen to podcasts, I just enjoy the moment outside with her.
“She’s so silly and happy. It’s my downtime, really, just having the wind on my face and listening to the geese and walking with her.”
5. Dr. Brent Roussin
“I could not get through COVID-19 without Dr. Roussin. He is such a strong leader. He’s kind-hearted, he’s practical, he can make decisions, and he’s got a great sense of humour. And he knows his stuff.
“I think all Manitobans are very fortunate to have him leading this. Being his partner in this every day is a gift.”
jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @JenZoratti
Jen Zoratti
Columnist
Jen Zoratti is a Winnipeg Free Press columnist and author of the newsletter, NEXT, a weekly look towards a post-pandemic future.
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