Dear Editor, 

I’m writing today because our community matters, our health matters, and our doctors matter. We all know that living in the Pontiac comes with challenges – long distances, limited services, and families that depend on each other. But we also know something else: when we stand together, we are strong. 

I’ve lived through mental illness in my family, I’ve faced challenges of my own, and I’ve come out stable, strong and grounded. 

But it’s not people like me who are unstable. It’s society that’s unpredictable. And that’s exactly why we need doctors here, close to home. Unpredictability is part of life – illness doesn’t schedule appointments, emergencies don’t wait for business hours. Our doctors work hard. They sacrifice time, sleep and sometimes their own wellbeing to care for us. And we, as a community, have a responsibility to not just depend on them, but to support them, to work with them, to show them we believe not only in their dedication, not only in God’s protection, but also in our own strength to stand up for what is right. 

This isn’t about choosing sides, it’s about choosing community, health, and basic human dignity for rural people who deserve the same care as people in any big city.  

We are asking the government to look at us, not as numbers, not as statistics, but as real human beings. Families. Elders. Children. Workers. People who want to stay healthy and stay home in the Pontiac. 

If our services get cut, our people get hurt, and that’s not acceptable. 

Today, we stand peacefully. We stand respectfully. But we stand firmly, because this is our home, and we want the government to protect it, not weaken it. 

Theresa Helmer, Quyon