Meet Donna

Sixty-three-year-old Donna Suits has lived in Calgary all her life. As a retired registered nurse, Donna spent her whole life helping others. But when Donna became sick, she was suddenly the one who needed help.

"Being in healthcare and as a regular nurse, it was part of my nature to always be helping others, whether it be the patient themselves, the doctor, the respiratory technologist, whoever the team is in the environmental setting," Donna said. "But when it came to me getting sick, I was a single parent and the time raising my two young boys. I didn't know who to turn to."

Today, Donna's boys are all grown up at age 30 and 33. She's also the proud grandmother of a 19-month-old granddaughter. She said her family found the support she needed after she was forced to stop working when her mental faculties changed.

"That's one reason I started to receive Calgary Meals on Wheels, when I was depressed," she said. "I'm not a cook by any stretch of the imagination and I certainly psychologically was not doing well. So this was a godsend to me, to have these meals."

Donna said the fast preparation of the meals and the easy clean-up has helped her to stay independent in her home. She said she enjoys chatting with the drivers who deliver the meals, calling them "very, very kind and very supportive."

“This was a godsend to me, to have these meals."

"The anticipation of the drivers arriving and having a moment or two to have a conversation and them leaving and saying goodbye, it all happens in a few brief minutes, but they're very valuable minutes," Donna said.

"Especially for someone like myself who lives alone and is a very socially-inclined individual. "It gives me something to look forward to. They become very much a part of my life and my community."

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