An Erickson man may want to shout in triumph but his doctors would prefer that he allow himself time to adapt to his new lungs. Nick Ewasiuk of Erickson has suffered with cystic fibrosis since childhood. As his condition has worsened, the 28 year old was given a no travel order, restricting him to Winnipeg for the past several months so that he would be readily available if donor lungs became available. He was flown to Edmonton urgently last week for a double lung replacement that will save his life. It has been 30 years since the world’s first successful double lung transplant was performed in Toronto and the number of the procedures in the years since numbers in the hundreds. In 2006, 129 double lung transplants were performed in Canada, in 2012 that number was 232. Based on a 2009 report from the John Hopkins School of Medicine, it has been found that for cystic fibrosis a double transplant is more effective and offers a greater long term advantage for the patient. But it’s important to note that transplants don’t cure the disease, as the gene responsible still exists in cells throughout the body except for the transplanted organ. Still, the survival rate for this procedure is encouraging, extending the lives of patients for years. The five year survival rate stands at 67%, while half of transplant recipients have enjoyed more than a decade of good health after receiving new lungs. For Ewasiuk, who was reached at the hospital in Edmonton where he is still in recovery from the July 29 operation, he is encouraged by how things have gone so far. Just five days removed from the major surgery, Nick was up for physiotherapy, performing step ups and calf raises. “It’s been a hectic few days so far, but recovery seems to be going good,” says Nick. “Surgery took about seven-ish hours and I was on a ventilator for about ten hours after that. After they took it out, I was on room air almost immediately. It’s been crazy how well things have been going.” However, while the recuperation period seems to be on track, the time spent hospitalized has created a significant financial impact for the young man. To help offset costs, the family has established a GoFundMe crowd funding campaign to ease the stress of financial pressures, allowing Nick to focus fully on his recovery and eventual release from the hospital. Those interested to help with the fund-raising effort can donate at: https://www.gofundme.com/2hl10jw

Michael Wenham, a 17 year old Crocus Plains High School student in Brandon, MB is collecting pledges for the Canadian Cancer Society in honor of Mike Adamski, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Adamski has been the Brandon Wheat Kings Public Address Announcer for the last 10+ years and he is also the Principal at Vincent Massey High School. Michael will be collecting pledges until his head shave day which is scheduled for December 16, 2016. Time and place TBA. Michael's goal is to raise at least $5,000 for the worthy cause. You can call Tom at 204-573-1601 or Michael at 204-573-3316 for information on how to make an in-person donation or click on the links at the bottom of this article for more information. Please note that your money will go to brain cancer research (Canadian Cancer Society) and will be MATCHED $ for $ by Brain Canada! In 2013 Mr. Wenham did a similar head shave in support of his beloved choral director, Elizabeth Grant. A link to the donation page can be found by clicking here. A link to the Facebook page can be found by clicking here.     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Right from the start I am a Pokemon idiot …. No clue no concept on this game or any other video game. My buddy Willy plays Railway Conductor 12 hours a day and it baffles me. How this all started was I noticed a bunch of cars late at night parked at the Discovery Centre so I called Brandon Police Service and the woman says “oh I bet they are playing Pokemon” …. Once again baffled. Pokemon Facts 1 - Tinder is one of the worlds most used APP’s …. Pokemon in the last 7 days has blown them out of the water with almost double the numbers that Tinder would normally have. 2 – Local Best Buy can not keep enough external batteries on their shelves because people need more battery power for their phones when they use their GPS. 3 – FBI and CIA are loving this because they can trace criminals better when they play the game ( yup sounds crazy I know ). FBI officials say they can track their steps legally now. 4 – Local Vancouver Hells Angel clubhouse was a surprise Pokemon Go Gym stop ( not sure what that means ). 5 – Nintendo shares increased 115% in the last week. So today I went to Discovery Centre to see what the hype is all about. BDNMB – Explain to me how many hours will you spend on this? Mike - 4 hours today ….. I work during the day so I do this at night. BDNMB – Is this addictive? Lisa Van De Kercouve - yes for sure the Pokemon jump out and it is great and you are out and about. BDNMB – have you done something like this before? Brianna Dyck - I enjoy this very much and my friends at school love this. BDNMB – are you worried about data charges? Rebecca Porteous - when I first heard about it I was against it but all my friends were on it and everyone is really enjoying it. BDNMB – is this a flash n the pan? Rebeeca Porteous-It will taper off for sure when you end up capturing a super rare Pokemon then you will be Elite. BDNMB – Pokemon idiot whats an Elite Pokemon? Mike – rare spawn that you have that your friends won’t have. BDNMB – when did you start this Pokemon thing? Chris Tataryn – since I was 10 years old and have been playing the game for a week and I go for an hour walk each day. BDNMB – interesting to see kids walking around and they are out and about. Chris – some people will hate it because they hate new things….. Sure its a stupid video game but at least people are out. BDNMB – people are doing something other than being trapped in front of their phones and screens at home. Chris – for sure its fun and I have been a fan my entire life its entertaining and a reason to go outside. BDNMB – this is what you expected? Jarred Murray – the game is getting better but I am enjoying it. BDNMB – how much time do you spend at it? Jarred – 4 hours at a time at night with friends BDNMB – have you met people? Jarred – I have had lots of interactions. BDNMB – do your friends Facebook and text about this? Kylie – its amongst our friends so we plan to go out and do and we communicate and lots of fun. BDNMB – do you feel like you are more social? Kylie – I get out more with friends that's really nice. Audio Interview Bottom line is perhaps people will get out of their homes and actually meet people face to face and that is a huge positive in my opinion. Darryl for BDNMB.CA

The premier car and truck show of the year is back in Brandon, July 29,30,31. Participants from all over Western Canada and the Northern US will make Brandon, MB their home for three days as the Keystone Centre grounds will play host to the Western Canadian Nations Super Run 2016. The Super Run is an annual event which rotates among three different cities in Western Canada benefiting local charities along the way. Hundreds of hot rods, customs and vehicles from the 50's, 60's and 70's are expected to fill the streets of Brandon and neighboring highways over the weekend. This year's event has a ton of activities planned for both vehicle presenters and spectators alike. Among the activities/events planned for the weekend include a swap meet, trade show, meet & greets, numerous BBQ's, and a flea market. Saturday includes a musical performance by the Tom Cats Band while the White Mud Band is schedule to take the stage on Saturday evening. One of the highlights of the weekends festivities will be the numerous tours scheduled daily for the drivers to such places as George Heeman’s Museum in Carman, Shilo Museum , and Crow's General Store in Brandon. For a detailed list of the weekends activities and time click here.

Press Re­lease Courtesy: http://shoppersmallbrandon.com/mall-info/press-releases/ A Transformation at Shoppers Mall in Brandon, Manitoba to Meet the Needs of the Community July 18, 2016 – Shoppers Mall in Brandon, Manitoba is transforming under a remerchandising strategy led by its owner, Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust. The dominant regional shopping centre, located at the intersection of 18th Street and Richmond Avenue, will begin to realize positive change with the addition of new best-in-class retail, services and restaurants — complementing the existing 90 retailers. The transformation at the 367,000-square-foot shopping centre includes the sustainable redevelopment of the main entrance and specific common areas, as well as the proposed development of freestanding pads to increase density and enhance the greening of the site. “This transformation signals a new era at Shoppers Mall,” said John Levac, Vice President, Asset Management at Morguard REIT. “The investment is designed to cater to the demands of the community and attract new shoppers seeking exceptional choice and diverse retailers.” The remerchandising strategy has resulted in a lineup of confirmed new retailers including: Sobeys Extra A 62,500-square-foot Sobeys extra store will become the new anchor and is expected to open this winter in the former Target space. The new store will have a market atmosphere and offer customers innovative full-service departments, a multi-use community room for events such as cooking classes, and in-store experts including a chef and wellbeing counselors. A planned new façade will transform the main entrance of the Mall in conjunction with the Sobeys opening. GoodLife Fitness GoodLife Fitness will open a 24,670-square-foot Co-Ed Club in early 2017 in a portion of the former Safeway space. The Co-Ed Club, the largest in Manitoba, will offer the community a modern, first class facility with amenities that support an active lifestyle.  It will provide customers with an enhanced one-stop location for retail and services. New Restaurants Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s A combination Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s on a freestanding pad at 18th Street and Richmond Avenue is planned pending final site approval. East Side Mario’s and Fionn MacCool’s A combination East Side Mario’s and Fionn MacCool’s on a freestanding pad at the 18th Street entrance is planned pending final site approval. Thai Express Thai Express will be opening in the existing Food Court in November 2016. The new restaurants proposed on the exterior pads will add 13,500 square feet of complementary food services to the existing 8,600 square feet of interior food court and sit down restaurants, resulting in more options for Mall visitors – and the community at large. The proposed development plans for the freestanding pads are now available for public comment onsite at Guest Services. The plans are also available online at http://shoppersmallbrandon.com. There is strong momentum behind the leasing efforts at Shoppers Mall and further new retailers will be announced in the months ahead. Note to Media: Renderings of the redevelopment and proposed freestanding pads are available upon request to corporatemarketing@morguard.com. About Shoppers Mall Shoppers Mall is a 367,000-square-foot dominant enclosed regional shopping centre located in Brandon, Manitoba. The Mall features more than 90 retailers offering a merchandise mix of retail, services, entertainment and restaurants. Visit http://shoppersmallbrandon.com. For further information, contact: John Levac Vice President, Asset Management, Morguard REIT 905-281-3800 Morguard Corporate Marketing 905-281-5823