When a loved one gets sick, it takes the strength of friends, family and loved ones to help them get through this, and sadly that isn’t always enough. MacKenzie MacLeod received some devastating and heartbreaking news that her brother, Robert MacLeod, is in the fight of his life and needed her help.
“In late April 2024, my brother Robert who is 26 years old, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) with an FLT3 gene mutation, which is a very aggressive form of blood cancer that requires intensive long-term radiation, chemotherapy, and an allogeneic stem cell and bone marrow transplant, once a donor is identified,” said MacKenzie. “This cancer is very dangerous, and without a transplant, Robert has 29 percent survivability beyond five years.
“His wife, Ashley, is 35 weeks pregnant and they have a young daughter, MacKinley who is under the age of five. Robert has been admitted to the University of Alberta Hospital and is still fighting to achieve remission. This cancer is fast-acting and his prognosis is poor. The goal is to get his body into remission so that he may be healthy enough to be transferred to Winnipeg, where he can receive the exact kind of treatment needed for this particular blood cancer.
“My brother is larger than life, literally,” said MacKenzie. “He stands over six feet tall, has broad shoulders, is physically strong, mentally tough, and has been hard working to support his family. He possesses the vigour inherent in young adults with their entire lives ahead of them. Robert is an avid outdoorsman, hunting, trail quadding, boating and smoking meat.
“Robert had just begun his application to the RCMP days before his diagnosis. His dream was to be an RCMP officer, raise his children in Minitonas, and live a life full of love, adventure and memories. Today, while Robert accepts his fate and mentally prepares to go to war against this blood cancer, he shares how when he finally returns home to Minitonas, cancer-free, he looks forward to driving truck for Rick Bresky and keeping his life simple and close to home.
“Since cancer entered our lives at the end of April, my brother told me, he just wants to get better so he can be a good father to his children, a good husband to his wife, and he will never leave home again,” said MacKenzie “As cancer does its work and the medical team tirelessly works to save his life, Robert understands that this is an insidious illness and he has a long gruelling battle between him and recovery. We are terrified, sickened with the fear of losing him, his life cut short at 26 when our social laws of nature dictate, that he is to have a long happy life, not fighting for tomorrow in a hospital bed hundreds of miles from home.”
Not only has MacKenzie been an emotional support to her brother, but she is taking it a step further to raise funds and future support for any family from the area, who may have the unfortunate experiences her brother is currently going through.
“This diagnosis immediately halted our lives,” said MacKenzie. “We as a family, discussed how we could logistically position ourselves to protect and support Robert and his family while ensuring his best medical outcome. It was clear that money and safe-adequate-affordable housing close to HSC where he must receive multiple treatments of chemotherapy and radiation each day are our greatest barriers. Robert is unable to work due to his terminal illness and Ashley, on maternity leave, has been a dedicated mother and wife never leaving her husband’s side. As a young couple with a little girl and another on the way, they are struggling with a number of challenges that jeopardize their ability to fully focus on accessing lifesaving cancer care.
“I asked my brother when I returned home upon the news on compassionate leave from the Army where I was posted to CFB Gagetown, NB, ‘How do you need me to be here for you?’ He responded, that he needed me to care for Ashley, MacKinley, and the baby while he goes for treatment. He said they’re all going to really need me and that’s what he needed me to do. I told him that I wouldn’t ever leave him and promised I would always be there for them. I’ve got my brother.”
“In 2010, I ran 450 km solo in nine days from Dauphin to Winnipeg, to raise funds for Wounded Warriors and help educate Canadians on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how best to support their soldiers returning from combat who may be battling with invisible psychological injuries,” said MacKenzie. “My Wounded Warrior Run was a huge success, having raised over $30k in donations.
“I intend to adopt the same approach to help raise medical funds to secure long-term safe, secure housing for families from Swan River, Minitonas, Kenville, and Bowsman to empower other families who may be faced with similar hardships as my brother to facilitate their access to lifesaving care in Winnipeg. My vision is to name this house after my brother.
“The MacLeod House will ensure community members have access to lifesaving cancer care while keeping the family together, including their pets, so they can focus on fighting for tomorrow with dignity and respect,” said MacKenzie. “Politically, we know that safe, secure and affordable housing is a significant critical issue in Canada, however, within the scope of universal healthcare, this prevents individuals and their families from actually accessing universal lifesaving cancer care. This is a human rights issue far beyond my brother. I intend to rally tons of attention, energy, support and ultimately make this vision a reality in my brother’s honour.
“Currently, this is in the brainstorming stages, but I intend to create and conduct a bike-by-relay called, Cycle for Cancer Care. This relay will start from the front door of my brother’s house in Minitonas and will end at the front doors of the Health Science Centre (HSC) in Winnipeg, to raise funds to help support my vision to secure The MacLeod House.
“My small relay team is composed of veterans and soldiers who are volunteering their time and their bodies to Cycle for Cancer Care, which will be attached to a non-profit that I intend to create called, Robert MacLeod - #Fighting4Tomorrow,” said MacKenzie. “All funds donated will be evenly divided between my brother, Robert MacLeod, to help support his medical expenses and the other funds will be used to put a down payment on a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a fenced yard for children and pets to play located close to the HSC.
“I’m still connecting with organizations within town to attempt to partner the house so that it will be privately maintained long into the future and available to our people when they need it most. The goal is to ensure no other family from our communities ever has to struggle to keep their family together while they fight for tomorrow.”
Along with MacKenzie’s fundraising efforts, there have been some local initiatives to help out Robert and his family during these unfortunate circumstances. There are a variety of ways for people in the Valley to help out.
“The Minitonas Motor Hotel is hosting a meat draw as a medical fundraiser for Robert MacLeod on June 22 from 7 to 9 p.m.,” said MacKenzie. “Tickets are 3 for $5. Special thank you to Misty who is organizing and hosting this event to help raise funds that will go directly to Robert’s family to aid with expenses as he fights AML.
“There is a GoFundMe page organized by Paige Berlinguette entitled, “Help the MacLeod family fight leukemia” and the Swan River Credit Union is set to receive donations directly into Robert’s chequing account. Eventually, Cycle for Cancer Care Relay will be another mechanism for additional support.
“I’m asking for any local businesses and clubs to approach me directly should they wish to partner with The MacLeod House, as I will need that residence to be managed long-term,” said MacKenzie. “Additionally, my team is looking for additional volunteers to cycle from Minitonas to Winnipeg, with the trip broken into four days.
“Also, I’m looking for an RV for those days with or without a driver, so that my small team has shelter while we Cycle for Cancer. I respect that not everyone can cycle and I invite motorbike owners to approach me if they would also like to be included in the event as this is accessible to everyone and anyone who wishes to volunteer their time. Please continue to pray for Robert and his family. This is going to be a very long gruelling haul; we appreciate everyone and anyone who has and will continue to lend their support.”

Manitoba country rocker Ryan Keown has passed on his love of music and singing to his eldest son, Austin Ryder, who is now coming into his own in the country music industry. Ryder fostered a love of music at an early age, which resulted in him singing on stage and taking guitar lessons.
“I would say I’ve always been in love with music,” said Ryder. “I grew up with having music played in the house all the time, and being an extroverted person, I was always singing and making noise, which drove my family crazy at times.
“I started as a young little boy in about grade 4, as a special guest with dad’s shows where I would come up and sing a song with the band. It was always the song, Wagon Wheel, which is a crowd favourite. It wasn’t long after that I wanted to take guitar lessons, so I went to Stan Ostafie and he taught me how to play. Then in grade 8, that grew into me opening up for my dad’s shows and performing the first set of the night with his full band.
“It grew from there and I got the singing bug,” said Ryder. “I started learning some songs on my own and practicing to play alongside my dad in the band.”
For Ryder, watching his dad perform with his band was a normal way of life and an excellent way to spend time together as a family. It also instilled in him the dedication needed to foster talent and passion, and all the hard work needed to make it a reality.
“Growing up, I didn’t know anything different when it came to living the life of a musician,” said Ryder. “When I was in school, it was normal to know that on weekends, we would be travelling to wherever my dad was headlining or a concert. It was something all of us grew up with and it was fun, exciting and provided with some good stories to tell afterwards.
“I normalized following my passion and dreams from an early age as a result of that. My dad showed us that if we wanted to do something, we could absolutely make our dreams a reality and chase them. He was very encouraging in that.
“My dad was more of a role model and supported me when it came to music,” said Ryder. “He didn’t want to take on the direct role of pushing me into music. He wanted it to be a passion of my own, so I took music lessons from Stan and I kind of grew from there. He provided me with some opportunities that I wouldn’t have been able to get on my own, but he wanted to be careful to ensure it was something I wanted to do.”
Ryder has experienced what it’s like to perform with a band on stage. It’s a different experience to performing solo and he feels like a band is your team that gets you through every aspect of performing on stage.
“I think that my start with performing with a full band happened before I started taking lessons of my own, that having the band there was a comfort and support system,” said Ryder. “I knew that the band had my back and if anything went wrong, they knew what to do and how to help me. That was empowering to have a full band. It’s awesome to have it all come together because you work so hard learning these songs on your own, and then being able to play them with a band to make music is a great experience.
“I have been fortunate to play with a couple of different bands in Calgary, even though I’m most familiar with our band back home, but the ones out here really know their stuff and they’re there to help. You can’t make a mistake with them, because they will follow you and help you out. It’s good to know that if it doesn’t go perfectly, no one will know because the band is there to back you up.”
When it comes to listening to music and performing artists, Ryder has his favourites in the country music industry.
“Vocally, I think Chris Stapleton is hands down the best in the business,” said Ryder. “He’s in a league of his own and to say one inspires to be like him is a bit of a longshot, but he is incredible. Stage presence-wise, I really look up to Cody Johnson. I recently saw him in concert in Calgary and he’s such a true classic cowboy. He is super humble, kind and classy on stage. He’s absolutely an entertainer.”
Ryder has been busy since he graduated from high school in Roblin and has been studying at university while making music. He has gained a lot of exposure and experience on stage performing in Calgary for different events and venues.
“I will be starting my fourth year of biochemistry in Calgary and will be graduating next spring,” said Ryder.
“Aside from my studies, I’ve been playing at local venues in the city. I’ve played at Ranchman’s numerous times and recently at Calgary’s International Beerfest. I do get a lot of opportunities to practice quite a bit. In my free time, so on Friday nights, you can catch me at the Ronald McDonald House playing music and singing to the families and children staying there for medical reasons. They are an audience that I get to practice for every week, which also helps me prepare for the bigger shows in Calgary. It’s a good balance, otherwise, I would find myself heavily involved in my schoolwork without any opportunity to keep up with my music.
“Calgary is called Canada’s Greatest Honky-Tonk, so knowing that and walking into Ranchman’s is intimidating but special at the same time,” said Ryder. “It was a great opportunity because there’s an atmosphere in there and the vibe from the stage, dance floor and employees are country to the core. It’s special to me because knowing the musicians who have played that stage before me and now, I’m getting to take part in that is all so surreal. It draws a different crowd than what I’m used to back home.”
Along with performing on stage, Ryder is now embarking on songwriting and recording. He will be releasing his first single very soon.
“I’m doing a little bit of writing now,” said Ryder. “My new single, Spin, that is coming out is one I didn’t write but was pitched to me out of Nashville. After listening to a couple hundred songs, when I heard this one, I knew I could make it my own. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to put my own spin on it and recorded it a couple of months ago.
“This single is all my own. I started meeting my producer, Bart McKay from Saskatoon, to get a feel for where we wanted the song to go. We put some inspirations that we want to include in the song and how we could modify it, versus the placement of things.
“Then it was a two-day studio session. On the first day, we laid down the tracks and recorded every part that fit the vision we had for the song. Then the second day, was the vocals, which was a half-day process of me singing the same song on repeat, with some changes in inflections and articulation of my words. Then we dove into the individual sections of the song to get the most out of it.
“I’m pleased with the way it has all come together and Spin should be out in the very near future,” said Ryder.”
Summer is going to prove to be a busy one for Ryder and he has a schedule packed with gigs and performances all over, from Manitoba and back into Alberta.
“We’ve got a busy summer coming up,” said Ryder. “Fortunately, I’ve had lots of opportunities here in Calgary, but I look forward to going back home. We have a long list of summer performances back home playing festivals, such as Dauphin Countryfest, as well as some rodeos and festivals. Then we will travel back to Calgary for the Stampede. Dad will get to take the stage with me at the Calgary Stampede, so this is the first gig that I’ve booked for him.”

There is a newer form of art that has gained a lot of popularity lately and is becoming a favourite pastime for some art enthusiasts in the Valley.  Diamond art, also known as crystal art, is the process of creating a picture using tiny resin rhinestones that resemble diamonds, on a pre-printed design or photo, resulting in a mosaic-looking piece of art.
Valley resident Ron Legall has become a diamond art enthusiast and enjoys this new hobby that allows him to create some stunning works of art.  When Legall first tried diamond art, he didn’t have the patience, but after recovering from an injury, he tried it again and fell in love with it.
“I started a while back, but I wasn’t interested in it then,” said Legall.  “I was trying to do them too fast.  Then I broke my arm last year on Valentine’s Day, and my sister bought me a bunch of different ones to do to keep me busy while I was healing.  It was then that I learned to take my time and how to do diamond art the right way.  I had to slow down and take my time with them; you just can’t rush yourself to finish them.”
Legall was fortunate to have a local business help foster his interest in diamond art by helping him choose pieces to work on.  He has completed a few pieces that include some gnomes and wolves.
“The Swan River Dollar and Gift Store is getting more diamond art pieces in June,” said Legall.  “There are some other wolf ones and a few other ones I’m kind of interested in.  I get all my diamond art projects there and they are very helpful when it comes to assisting me in picking out some.  They will order them in for me and have offered to let me look at their ordering books for diamond art and I could pick whatever ones I wanted them to order in for me.
“The lady at the Swan River Dollar and Gift Store has been a big help.  When I finished the one of the wolf, she said it was very beautifully done and that the lion one would be too when it’s finished, since both of those pieces have a lot of detail to them.
“I have plans to do a few more,” said Legall.  “I just bought a turtle, owl, and a lion one.  I’m saving the lion one for in the winter because there is a lot more work to that one and it will take me quite a bit of time to get it done.”
When it comes to deciding which diamond art piece is his favourite that he completed, Legall is undecided.  He likes the more challenging pieces, especially the ones that are up close of animals, for there is a lot more detail to those diamond art projects.
“There was another wolf diamond art that I did that is different from the one on display at the library and I sold it,” said Legall.  “I think my favourite one will be the lion when I am done with it.  I’m really looking forward to working on it and seeing what it looks like when it’s finished.  I also like the wolf one that is on display at the library right now.
“Now when I’m looking for a diamond art project, I like to pick the harder ones that have more detail to them.  Most of the difficult ones are of animals.”
Although diamond art can be intricate and detailed, Legall still finds it a very relaxing and good way to pass the time.  He can’t stress enough that to have a diamond art project turn out, a person has to take their time and concentrate on what they are doing.
“I find it very relaxing to do diamond art and it helps me unwind,” said Legall.  “It also helps to pass the time.
“It takes me about a month to do one of the detailed ones, like the wolf.  I had to take my time with it so it would turn out.  For some people, it may only take them a week to do it, but I still work my job and work on these in the evening or on weekends during my spare time.  I try to work on them for an hour or two each night.
“When people ask me about doing diamond art, I tell them don’t rush yourself,” said Legall.  “I also suggest that they start by doing small ones first, before trying the bigger ones.  Those diamond pieces are so small, so you have to slow down and take your time with it.”
Legall has his diamond art projects on display at the North-West Regional Library.  He feels a sense of pride and accomplishment from his efforts with diamond art and hopes to inspire more people to try it.
“This is the first time I have had my diamond art projects on display at the library,” said Legall.  “One of my bosses at the Swan Valley Co-op talked to me about doing this, so I went to the library and talked to them.  They agreed to put my diamond art up on display.  It will be there for about a month.
“I have heard lots of compliments so far about my diamond art, even on Facebook.  The wolf seems to be the one everyone likes the most. 
“I think there are lots of people in the Valley doing diamond art already, but maybe my story will encourage more people to try it out,” said Legall.  “The staff at the Swan River Dollar and Gift Store have told me that lots of people go there to buy diamond art kits, so there must be a fair bit of interest in them.”