Sister Ivy McCann: Holy Star Woman

It was her struggle with breast cancer that led Sister Ivy McCann to want to help the sick and terminally ill.

“The first fear I guess that I had to deal with was the imminent possibility of death,” she said.

Sister McCann has now been cancer free for the last 14 years, which was the same time she began working with the pastoral care ministry.

She officially retired from her position this summer, and was honoured today for her continuous efforts in providing support to patients at Chinook Regional Hospital and St. Michael’s Health Centre.

First Nations Elder, Martin Eagle Child, paid tribute to Sister McCann by giving her a traditional Blackfoot name, ‘holy star woman’. “I thought about it a long time and I thought that was the most fitting name that she deserves,” he said.

“I think she deserves to be honored. All the work she has done. All the work she showed me how to do things, especially the people who are dying and the sick.”

With her new future ahead, Sister McCann says she will miss her patients and the close friendships she’s made in Lethbridge.

“This is very humbling and will certainly be a very meaningful memory for me for the rest of my life.”

Sister McCann, who is also a registered nurse, retired from active duty in July of this year.