Marks We Leave Behind

June 28, 2024

Grace Done, AVC 2025, traveled to Nain and Postville in 2024 as one of the student participants on the Chinook Project.  As part of the experience, the students craft various pieces of reflective writing. 

“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?” – V. E. Schwab

Upon first arrival to the Halifax airport, our little team began to gather and prepare ourselves for a life-changing journey to northern Labrador. We sat with bags packed and ready, and listened to a few opening words of wisdom from one of the Chinook Project’s returning veterinarians, Dr. Foley. 

He emphasized the importance of teamwork and manifesting our own success, quickly solidifying one of our trip’s mantras; “teams choose to succeed”. We were also urged to consider our role as visitors and guests to the communities: only going where we are invited, offering help where it is requested, teaching whilst also learning, and not seeking to change or disrupt the current practices. I think, in that moment, we all felt the energy of our common goal.

The Chinook Project team of 2024 on a Twin Otter plane leaving Happy Valley-Goose Bay, bound for Nain.

With this shared energy, we hit the ground running in Nain, collectively performing over 50 surgeries (primarily spays and neuters) and nearly 80 medicine appointments (exams, vaccines, deworming, and more) over the course of our visit. Our local coordinator Reyna, and her amazing, kind, and hard-working team of volunteers, exceeded all expectations from the moment we arrived. We were granted the use of the Husky Centre hockey arena, only a stone’s throw from our lodgings at the Atsanik Hotel. Countless members of the community stepped in to provide us supplies: a lamp for surgery, blankets for patients, a mini fridge for vaccines, a coffee pot (my personal favourite item), and so much more. The first day of seemingly endless surgeries truly tested our team’s resolve as we scrambled to find our rhythm (and everything else we had unpacked). However, the days flew by and the clinic arena quickly began to feel like home, and the people and pets of Nain like family. At the end of the week, as we loaded the last of our supplies into the truck, I looked back at the arena– empty as when we had arrived. If not for the marks left behind in the lives of all the patients and people we were able to help, one could almost be convinced we had never been there. Well, except for a fair bit of stubborn dog fur inside, I’m sure.

Our Postville welcome was equally exceptional, with our contacts Jen and Tim (and Biscuit!) truly choosing success with our team by raising and helping us convert the spacious community centre into a unique, open-concept clinic. Countless owners were able to watch and even help with the process of preparing their animal companions for surgery and many even chose to observe the procedure itself! Watching many of our sweet patients wake up to their owners’ caring faces and voices is a moment that I’m sure will be etched into both my memories and theirs, forever. After nearly 30 more surgeries and another slew of medicine appointments (with many arriving from Makkovik, Rigolet, and Hopedale along the way), I was truly beginning to feel like we had left a mark in the community. 

A little girl in Nain who loved checking out the surgeries with her new book. 

Of course, we made sure to leave some tangible marks as well along the way…

I was overjoyed for the opportunity to gift both communities some signed copies of “Furry Emergency - Dudley the Doodle”, a children’s veterinary book about a dog who likes to eat things he shouldn’t. The book is authored by Dr. Tara McCarthy of PEI, and illustrated by me during veterinary school. The possibility that reading our book might help inspire even one child to follow their veterinary dreams one day or might help teach a child about responsibly caring for their pet, is something that I will be forever grateful for. 

Chinook Project veterinary students painting signs and rocks with supplies from Jen.

At the end of our journey we left our final marks in the form of painted rocks and signs. As someone who finds much of my peace and expression through art, this was a very impactful gesture for me. Our trip mantras “teams choose to succeed” and “you can do hard things” will join other message signs along the Postville boardwalk to hopefully resonate with others. Our rocks painted with fond memories will return to the earth as before– but now with all the new colourful marks we left behind.  Nakummek, Nain and Postville! 

Art made by various members of the Chinook Project 2024 team for the Postville boardwalk.