The other night I caught a promo clip aired on the CTV
National News, about Dr. Laurent Duverney-Tardif. The full special Front
Line, would be on TSN Sportscenter the next day. For those of you who
do not know, Laurent Duverney-Tardif is a National Football League (NFL) player
who played on the winning 2020 Superbowl team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
I am not a football fan. But football is ever-present in my
home, since my son who is a huge NFL fan.
However, Duvernay-Tardif peaked my interest back in February, when the KC Chiefs earned the right to play in the Superbowl. Duverney-Tardif was the first Quebecer to play in a Superbowl. Now the first Quebec-born Superbowl Champion. Plus, he is also a francophone who graduated from McGill University Medical School in Montreal in 2018 with a doctorate of medicine and masters in surgery. This young man’s accomplishments fascinated me, as he completed his medical studies while also playing in the very demanding NFL.
Today I watched the 14-minute TSN special which I recorded. It
was really well done. It portrays a Superbowl champion with a medical degree, who
just could not sit back once the coronavirus pandemic hit hard in Quebec, the
place he calls home.
In April, when the Quebec health ministry called out for
the assistance in long term care facilities, especially from healthcare students, Duvernay-Tardif, who is not currently enrolled in a residency
program wanted to help. So he rolled up his sleeves and has been
working two to three shifts per week in a long-term care facility, as an
orderly or personal support worker, performing nursing aide duties. He, along with Olympic medalist Joannie Rochette and hundreds of others, signed up to work in the understaffed facilities.
In the TSN special Duvernay-Tardif, age 29, shares his thoughts and personal feelings about his front line role in the long-term
care facility, and how it has affected him in the last several weeks. He discusses
his life post-Superbowl win, coming back to Montreal, decompressing on a Caribbean
vacation and changing his return date due to the coronavirus pandemic. Then
came the shift of his focus to the desire to help during the pandemic, in whatever way possible with his medical training.
There were some implications with Duvernay-Tardif’s NFL contract,
as well as in his personal life and with all the considerations, he has gone
into this endeavor with fervor and enthusiasm. He is taking great risks with is
high level of exposure to Covid-19, which could impact his career as a professional
football player. You can see in the special how drained he is, and the toll
it is taking. The elderly residents he interacts with on his shifts have certainly
made an impact on him and he has impacted them as well.
All this to say this young man is quite remarkable. He is
very well-spoken in his second language, English. He has a very humble demeanor, and a deep
level of commitment.
After some quick research on Dr. Duvernay-Tardif, I discovered he founded and runs the LDT Foundation, an organization that encourages physical activity and creativity in child development and education. In the world of professional sports, we often know of athletes who engage in various philanthropic endeavours, such as this one. Perhaps this particular story of an athlete, stepping up to work as an orderly in this health crisis, caught my attention because Duvernay-Tardif, an athletic champion is a person with a medical degree and he is putting his time, energy and efforts to use in a very hands-on manner.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is an excellent role model.
He is making a meaningful contribution and is most
definitely is making a difference!
Below is the link to the TSN Special, Front Line:
https://www.tsn.ca/video/tsn-original-front-line~1983251
Stay safe,
Davina
Please LIKE my Facebook Page JUST ASK DAVINA
Great job!
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