'When the chips are down:' community, RCMP get insulin to girl during Sask. blizzard

With 25 kilometres of drifting and swirling snow in between him and his daughter, Tuesday’s blizzard turned into a nightmare for Lee Stanley when her health was suddenly on the line.

At the height of the storm on Tuesday, Stanley was stranded at his farm between Gainsborough and Carievale, Sask.

“Visibility was down to nothing and what snow there was, and we had quite a bit before, it all seemed to land on the roads and in the yard,” said Stanley.

His daughter goes to school in Carnduff, and while she was able to make it to Carievale, it wasn’t safe to go any further. Friends of Stanley and his wife took her in.

Stanley said his daughter has Type 1 diabetes and has an insulin pump. He said she always carries a spare pod with her and this was the time she ended up having a problem.

“Just as luck would have it, she was stuck in town and no way to get to anybody, and the one that she had malfunctioned right out of the package from the factory,” explained Stanley.

It could have been a serious problem for her.

“She actually gets violently sick within a few hours of not having it. It was quite a nightmare for us being out here and absolutely no way to get to her.”

First Stanley tried to get into town, but he was blocked by a six-foot drift. That’s when he put out a call on social media for help.

The secretary from his daughter’s school ended up answering that call.

Stanley said she went to the school in Carnduff, picked up his daughter’s spare insulin pod and got it to the local RCMP detachment. The officers then braved the highway in the storm and got the pods to Carievale.

“They weren’t able to get into town because the road was blocked there, but our friends were able to meet them out at the highway and we got the stuff to her in time.”

On Wednesday morning, Stanley was out plowing the yard, waiting for the highways to open up so he could get his kids home.

He said he and his wife are beyond thankful for the help they got.

“We are very blessed to live in this community with such wonderful people, great friends and everyone who’s willing to help when the chips are down.”