A new fund being administered by Francofonds and supported by Centre de santé Saint-Boniface is aiming to make dreams come true for French-speaking women who have experienced medical challenges. Mon Rêve Santé & Bien-être (My Health and Wellness Dream) offers funds to support the dreams that almost slipped away in the hustle of everyday life and health care needs.
“When you’ve gone through a difficult health experience, and you finally get back on your feet, you feel you have a second chance at life,” explains Nathalie Kleinschmidt, Executive Director of Francofonds. “You think that this time, you’re going to go for it. You become more aware of what you haven’t done yet, and the importance of a happy, healthy life.”
The fund was established by Monique Ducharme and her husband Hubert Gauthier. “What initially inspired Monique was that when her mother passed away, she found all of these beautiful paintings her mother had made,” continues Kleinschmidt. “She was an artist who never got to pursue her art. Monique decided, after her own health scare, that she wanted to support other women. When you’re sick, you realize that life is short and if you have a second chance, you want to grasp it.”
Alexandra Dénommée, a Community Development Facilitator at Centre de santé Saint-Boniface, is proud to be associated with the project. “It’s very easy to apply; we’re not asking women to prove anything about their medical history,” she explains. “How did it feel to live a dream? What did it bring out in you? They are the only questions that matters here.”
Working in a primary care clinic, the team at Centre de santé Saint-Boniface see a lot of women who might benefit from the fund. While a great diversity of women might be impacted by health concerns, there is a common goal for all of them. “This gives women a lot of freedom to decide what happens to them next, which is very important after a time of great uncertainty,” Dénommée explains. “It’s important to give women a voice, to let them dream, to do better and be more in control of their lives.”
Nathalie Kleinschmidt agrees. “We’re here to help, but most of all, this is about empowerment,” she shares. “Recently, a woman who was a double breast-cancer survivor got into Dragon Boating, found a community, and requested funding to go to Paris for an international meet with her team. She’s taking care of herself, and she’s working towards a dream. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.”
Monique Ducharme supported her husband as he rode his bike from Winnipeg to Montreal to raise funds for this initiative, another angle that Kleinschmidt adores. “Hubert is crazy about his wife and ready to do anything to show her,” she says. “There is so much love in this fund, between Hubert and Monique and all the women who are making their dreams come to true.”
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If you’d like to learn more about the Mon Rêve Santé & Bien-être, please click here.