Season Four - Episode Six - CARG

It's 9:30 on a cold January morning at the Saskatoon Field House and 85 year-old George Parchomchuk is right where he wants to be. He is walking on the track!

For the past 20 years, George has been a member of the Coronary Artery Rehabilitation Group. He suffered his first cardiac event in 2001 and is grateful for the education and support he has received in the group. I know this because George Parchomchuk is my uncle and he sparked the idea to do this episode.

CARG is a non-profit, peer support group for people who have experienced a cardiac event. It offers supervised exercise and educational programs to its members and does an excellent job of creating community here in Saskatoon. 

Members are easy to spot on the Field House track thanks to their bright red shirts. The significance of these red shirts is explained by Al Sather in the episode. Al, who was a member of the Saskatoon Police Service, became a CARG member in 2016 after undergoing open-heart surgery. 

Al is joined in the episode by CARG President, Dennis Johnson. Dennis, who was a highly regarded professor at the University of Saskatchewan, became a CARG member in 2005 after a series of heart incidents including open-heart surgery. 

Al and Dennis share their personal stories in the episode and explain how CARG continues to benefit hundreds of people in Saskatoon. They are honest, sincere and I think are amazing ambassadors for the organization. 

Follow and listen to YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website or wherever you find your favourite podcasts. Don't forget to leave a 5 star review if you like what you hear. 

Thank you so much for listening and support a local, independent podcast and thanks again to Al, Dennis and my Uncle George for their help in making this episode such a success!

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis