Hamilton nurse takes polar dips to raise money for palliative care

In the frigid mornings of winter, a Hamilton nurse found a way to help her dying patients by swimming in the ice-cold waters of Lake Ontario.

Yulia Shevchenko, a longtime ICU nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital, was introduced to polar dips - an extremely physically challenging sport that involves swimming in cold water - to cope with the profound effects the pandemic had on her mental health. Later the dips became a way to honour her unit and co-workers during the pandemic.

One day, my friends took me to the beach and offered me to swim with them and I haven't stopped ever since. I would say it's my answer to the pandemic, improving my mental health," Shevchenko said.

People forget easily, but I think we need to remind ourselves how devastating it was and how awful it was in the hospitals," Shevchenko said. Behind those glass doors, the nurses still carry lots of scars and wounds on their hearts. It's still happening."

Shevchenko has pledged to take 333 polar plunges to raise funds for the 3 Wishes Project at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton that helps patients in the ICU and medicine unit fulfil their final wishes and gives them and their loved ones more comfort in their final days.

Shevchenko and her colleagues bought iPads with money raised through the initiative to connect patients to their loved ones virtually to say goodbye. The initiative also helps protect patients, staff, and the community against the spread of the virus.

The wishes connect patients to their loved ones. Sometimes they request pets come to the hospital, or for a family pizza lunch. We bought iPads for the Zoom goodbye calls during the pandemic."

As of March 12, the nurse was on her 71st plunge and had broken her own record after staying in the water for 11 minutes when the outside temperature was -13 C. Shevchenko makes it look easy by documenting her journey on social media but doesn't encourage anyone to do it without speaking to a health-care professional beforehand.

Your body is in quite a bit of stress. If you have any cardiovascular conditions, it could be dangerous. I don't recommend people jumping in the cold lake," Shevchenko advised.

For more information on how to contribute to the 3 Wishes Project at St. Joe's, visit tinyurl.com/3zkjwtfv.

Beatriz Baleeiro is a reporter at The Spectator. bbaleeiro@torstar.ca