From the time Shawna (Shoshana) Forester Smith (BA 07) was a young girl, she knew she wanted a career in writing. She had her first piece of writing published at the age of eight, and when she realized she could get paid to write, she knew that’s what she wanted to do.
When Shawna finished high school, her parents urged her to pursue nursing. She completed one year of nursing school and knew immediately that it wasn’t for her. “I wasn’t very happy,” she said. “That is when I decided I wanted to be a journalist.”
She enrolled in The University of Winnipeg and RRC Polytech Joint Communications Program. She discovered a love for public relations and during her time at RRC Polytech, landed a job at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). While working with the WRHA, Shawna continued her studies part-time at UWinnipeg to complete her degree in communications.
“UWinnipeg was great because it has a lot of flexibility. It worked really well for me. I was working downtown, I was living downtown, and it was convenient.” Shawna also loved the professors, often choosing to take courses from the same professors over and over.
However, dealing with chronic illness for most of her life, Shawna’s health took a sudden turn. “In 2009, my health blew up and I became very sick. For the past 15 years, I have essentially been living in hospitals.”
Shawna lives with gastroparesis and pseudo-obstruction which prevents her body from digesting food. This has led to a myriad of other health problems and issues. In 2017, she was placed on long-term disability and became a permanent resident of the Deer Lodge Centre, a facility specializing in long-term care and chronic care.
It wasn’t long before Shawna became horrified with the lack of attention, care and concern shown to residents of long-term care facilities. “The patients basically had no voice. I knew this wasn’t right.”
Shawna started advocating for herself, and through that, found empowerment in helping others advocate for themselves as well. “I realized this is bigger than me. I noticed the things happening to me are affecting other people too.”
Photo supplied: Shawna Forester Smith (BA 07) receives the King Charles III Coronation Medal, presented by Senator Flordeliz Osler.
In 2023, Shawna received news that she would never be able to walk again. To cope, she turned to writing. “I opened up the Notes app on my phone and started a novel. The file became so big, I had to move it over to Pages. In five days, I had a draft of a novel that I had written from my hospital bed.”
As a life-long writer, Shawna began writing for the Winnipeg Free Press in February 2024. Her bi-weekly column details her own health and journey with the health care system. Readers will often write to Shawna asking for support with their own health concerns. “If I can help, I do,” said Shawna. “I’ve helped people choose other options and that’s bigger than anything.” Shawna’s column has been nominated for a National Newspaper Award; the finalists will be announced in March 2025.
Shawna credits her education with helping her to be able to advocate and work for those in her community. “My comms degree gave me the training to be able to do things like media relations, writing, public speaking, and all the different skills required for what I do. They also give me the connections that I have. My education is a big part of my success. I’m so glad that I chose that path.”
Shawna completed her master’s in leadership with a specialization in health in 2014. “I defended my thesis from a hospital bed on the phone,” said Shawna. “I was the first person to ever do that.”
In January of this year, Shawna was presented with a King Charles III Coronation Medal in a private ceremony at Deer Lodge. She was nominated by Senator Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler for her role in health care advocacy and contributions to Canada and health care.
“It is such an honour,” said Shawna. “It’s nice to have the recognition for the advocacy work that I’ve done. I don’t do it for the recognition, so I’m a little bit shy of being in the limelight. But it is nice.”
As Shawna navigates the uncertainty of her health, she plans to continue to write and speak up for those who need it. She has completed the drafts of eight novels, which she is now editing to submit to publishers.
