ON THE FRONTLINE OF THE PANDEMIC
WAIT FOR ME:
A MUSIC VIDEO
Wait for Me brings together two incredible artists and emergency room physicians who offer a different perspective by sharing the emotional reality of what the past 18 months has been like on the frontline of the pandemic.
Everyone has their own pandemic story, and what Dr. Grant Kennedy, musician and song writer, and Dr. Heather Patterson, photographer, have through their combined artistry is 18 months of the story on the frontlines of health care. Wait for Me brings all the expertise, compassion and emotions involved in caring for people during an extraordinary public health crisis.
That’s why Calgary Health Foundation got involved. This project is an opportunity to profile the extraordinary, selfless efforts of our health care providers who have the toughest jobs caring for the sickest patients and also stepping in as companion, confident and comforter despite all the pressure they’re facing.
Wait for Me features real people and their real emotions facing their pandemic experience.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
| The story of writing Wait for Me.
Dr. Grant Kennedy |
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| The story of the photo project inside Calgary’s hospitals.
Dr. Heather Patterson |
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| What do you hope people take away from Wait for Me?
Dr. Grant Kennedy |
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| What makes this collaboration special?
Dr. Heather Patterson |
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| What has your photography project taught you over COVID-19? Dr. Heather Patterson |
The Calgary Health Foundation works with all four Calgary adult acute care hospitals, numerous community health centres and programs, and 12 long-term care facilities.
We’d like to thank the health care teams around the world who tirelessly and compassionately give all that they have to their patients.
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THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECT
Dr. Grant Kennedy
Grant Kennedy is an emergency physician and singer-songwriter based in Calgary, Alberta. His songs are a reflection of his life experience and combine warm melodies with an acoustic based blend of folk inspired tones. In 2018, Kennedy released his first independent EP titled “Home”. When the global pandemic hit in 2020 Kennedy found himself on the frontlines as an emergency physician. The ensuing stress of the job and struggles with his mental health resulted in the inspiration for his follow up EP titled “Away” which was released early in 2021. Produced by Russell Broom, “Away” has received attention from local and national media and led Kennedy to a publishing deal with InStyle Music.
Dr. Heather Patterson
Heather Patterson is an emergency physician and photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. With Alberta Health Services approvals and individual consent, Heather has photographed the in-hospital pandemic experience of frontline workers, patients and families for the past year. From this unique vantage point she documents the story of COVID-19 and the people it has directly impacted. Her photography project, which has captured the attention of media across Canada, is the basis of her upcoming book, Through My Lens: A Physician’s COVID Experience by Goose Lane Editions.
This video was produced by Two Words Productions.
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In Calgary and surrounding communities, just over 38,000 health care providers, 3,000 physicians, and 4,900 volunteers have been at the forefront of this tenacious pandemic response. These brave individuals have endured ongoing challenge, stress, and fatigue, that has earned them the title of “health care heroes”.
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