06/15/2026
In honour of Men’s Health Month, our Foundation reached out to Councillor Dan Reynish who has been open about his healthcare journey on social media. We wanted to learn more about the power of sharing your story, and how local healthcare has made a positive impact on his life.
“The night of February 7, 2022, was the first time I ever heard the words Transient Ischemic Attack – and it scared me to my core. Primarily known as TIA, or a mini-stroke, it’s a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain. Symptoms are identical to a stroke – such as sudden numbness, slurred speech, or vision loss – but typically last less than an hour and cause no permanent damage. Mine lasted more than a few hours, so they kept me in the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital overnight for observation.
The doctors attributed the TIA to high blood pressure, poor diet, obesity, and physical inactivity. Yes, physical inactivity from the guy who had been appearing on television every two weeks for the better part of two years starring in a feature called Losing It about trying to get (and stay) in shape! Now, Alanis Morrissette, that is ironic.
Losing It started in March of 2020, and at the start of every episode I said, ‘…I’ve spent the last ten years putting on weight. My goal this year is losing it!’. And I concluded each episode by saying, ‘If I can do it… you can too!’. The work I did to lose weight was intense! I ate healthier than ever before, I exercised, I did everything that my Nutritionist and Clinical Exercise Physiologist recommended. And while I didn’t have much success actually losing weight, I was managing not to gain weight. I was keeping it off! More importantly, I seemed to be inspiring people!
Wherever I went, people were watching the series and wanting to tell me about their personal health journey, and how they were now exercising and eating healthier because of me! It was during this time that I realized just how connected people were to what I was doing. When people are engaged with and invested in you and your health, it gives them something to root for, and they were definitely rooting for me! That is why, less than a week after it happened, I filmed an episode of Losing It where I openly and honestly discussed the fact that I suffered a TIA – not just to inform people about what I was going through, but to try and help as well. We were offering a little pre-emptive medicine to try and give people the chance to avoid some pain and suffering of their own. As I said during my campaign for City Council – We’re all in this together! And I honestly believe that.
Bottom line, as we get older, we must continue to work hard to take care of ourselves. To do that, we need to rely on healthcare professionals who are so busy that they can use any outside help they can get! The nurses and doctors that helped me during my TIA were all caring and engaged. Every single one of them worked hard to help me, and they still always give me their absolute best despite being underfunded in Alberta. That’s why it’s always my pleasure to support the Medicine Hat Health Foundation, which is the primary local registered charity dedicated to enhancing healthcare services in Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta.
Operating 100% local out of the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, the Foundation ensures that every dollar donated directly supports local healthcare facilities, specialized clinical training, and advanced medical equipment. After all, you never know when you might need their help!”
- Councillor Dan Reynish, City of Medicine Hat
Thank you so much for sharing your story with our community, Dan! Our Foundation believes that we can inspire change in local healthcare by sharing stories about our healthcare journeys, the gratitude we have for healthcare professionals, and the positive impact local healthcare has made on our lives.
We are always open to being a platform for our community to share their stories! You’re welcome to reach out to us anytime at (403) 528-8133 or [email protected] to submit a story to be featured online or in our publications.
You can also show your support by donating directly to men’s health! Just select Men’s Health from the dropdown menu under Donation Designation on our online donation form: https://ourhealthfoundation.ca/donate/donate-now-form
Together we can.
