Student anticipates restful holiday

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Every so often you hear of an upbeat story that should be passed on. Derrick Houle, from Saddle Lake, is an example for anybody who thinks it is tough to stay in school. The post-graduate student battles major health problems and is looking forward to his holiday break.

Few with the health Houle has contended with would have stuck school out. But through perseverence the 29-year-old man sees the light at the end of the tunnel, and hopes soon he will be able to put his knowledge to work for his community.

Right now though, he and wife Leta and their three children Emmett, 7, Daisy, 5, and Maia, 1 are looking forward to a quiet holiday season away from the student grind.

This family was looking forward to attending the children's concert at Lansdowne Public School on Dec. 7, but Leta said the reason for that was because of the multicultural aspect of the celebration at their school. The family is strict about maintaining its Native spiritual traditions rather than following Christian ones. They also will visit family around Edmonton and at Saddle Lake.

"We focus on the family," Leta said. "We do lots of baking, decorate cookies and the house with the children. We have a tree."

The family also prays at home, with sweetgrass and sage, and avoids mainstream commercial and religious hype.

Derrick graduated from a Native studies program Nov. 15 at the University of Alberta, and is now working on a commerce degree, specializing in entrepreneurship. He'll be finished by Christmas next year. Before university he worked as a scaffolder.

In February 1996 Derrick was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which put an end to construction work. In the summer of 1998 he had surgery to remove most of his colon. There were three major surgeries and six other procedures: "So within two years I had nine visits to the hospital."

In September 1996 he started university. "The first two years I was in university I was taking eight to 10 Tylenol 3s a day." That would be enought to put most people to sleep but Derrick said, "I was in so much pain that . . . wasn't a problem." He was also on steroids and other drugs to combat the disease, which has no cure.

Derrick said he still gets sick three or four times a year and "it has been my family that's kept me going back to school. It has been my dreams for community that has kept me focused on a goal. . . . Without my wife I would never have gone to school, and without my kids I would never have had the investment to go to school.

"What I am intending on doing is to go back to the community - if they have room for me." He has been away since he was 11.

He would like to focus on economic development and "things which bring sustainable economy back to the reserve." By that he means environmental choices such as solar power and "green" energy, and looking at cost efficiencies on everything from paper to cleaning products.

This month though, it's lots of holiday fun and getting rested for the new year's challenges. "We're students," Leta said. "We're going to sleep."