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Aurum Award winner Athanasius Sylliboy improves health outcomes for Mi'kmaq聽

2023 Aurum Award winner Athanasius 鈥淭anas鈥 Sylliboy (MN鈥20) is advocating for improved health outcomes for Mi鈥檏maq and other marginalized communities by breaking barriers and lifting voices.
Sylliboy looking in the distance with a stethoscope draped around their shoulders and the Nova Scotia and Mi'kmaq Grand Council flags in the background.

Posted: May 26, 2023

By:聽Allison Barss

Whether it鈥檚 enjoying the first cup of coffee, preparing for the day ahead or during the one-hour commute to work,聽Athanasius 鈥淭anas鈥 Sylliboy (MN鈥20)聽looks for any opportunity to reflect.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for me to ground myself in gratitude,鈥 says the聽Aurum Award聽recipient. 鈥淚t helps me realize how fortunate I am to be where I am now.鈥

Sylliboy was raised in Eskasoni First Nation, the largest Mi鈥檏maq community in the world, nestled alongside Bras d鈥橭r Lake in eastern Cape Breton Island. 鈥淕rowing up, it was easy to feel like I didn鈥檛 belong in certain spaces,鈥 they say. 鈥淚t was challenging to overcome my own barriers.鈥

Their mother, along with Sylliboy鈥檚 close circle of family members and friends, became a guiding light on their journey to self discovery as a Two Spirit, Mi鈥檏maw nurse practitioner.

鈥淢y mother has always been my biggest inspiration and supporter,鈥 they say. 鈥淪he is quick to discourage any negative thoughts, instead encouraging me to be my authentic self and to never be afraid to share that with the world.鈥

Sylliboy attended Cape Breton University (CBU) where they earned a nursing degree in 2015. They and a friend were the first two Mi鈥檏maw men to graduate from CBU鈥檚 nursing program. 鈥淚 knew then, as much as I do now, that I had a job to do to help others like me.鈥

From there, Sylliboy continued their studies at 新加坡六合彩开奖直播鈥檚聽School of Nursing, earning a master鈥檚 degree in 2020.

Creating safe spaces

Today, Sylliboy is primarily stationed at the Millbrook Health Centre in聽聽near Truro, a facility committed to offering accessible, culturally safe, and holistic care to Millbrook and their community members. On a casual basis, they also work at the IWK鈥檚 Emergency Department in Halifax.

Early in Sylliboy鈥檚 career, they quickly recognized the significance of having Mi鈥檏maq-speaking health-care staff across various settings. 鈥淚t not only brings comfort and reassurance to Mi鈥檏maw patients and their families, but also fosters an environment where they can feel safe.鈥

Sylliboy says to date, they are among only a few known Mi鈥檏maq-speaking health-care providers in Nova Scotia. 鈥淚 deeply value using our language in my daily work,鈥 they say.

They also share that they have seen many people from their communities who have exhausted all options before considering coming to the emergency room, or even avoiding it entirely, due to concerns of facing racism. 鈥淚 strive to deliver the appropriate care and raise awareness so that Mi鈥檏maq patients can feel secure and acknowledged, so they will make the emergency room their first option.鈥

Sylliboy adds that they want this awareness 鈥 this feeling of safety 鈥 to not just be felt in today鈥檚 generation, but for the next seven generations and beyond.

鈥淢aking health care accessible is so important,鈥 says Sylliboy. 鈥淥btaining health care is already challenging, but it鈥檚 even more difficult for marginalized communities. My goal is to create or transform spaces to be more inclusive and safer for everyone, particularly those who have previously felt unseen, and unheard.鈥

Sylliboy is sitting on the edge of an exam table in a medical clinic.

Let us help one another, together

鈥淚n my language, there鈥檚 an expression that goes 鈥Mawi-Apoqnmatultinej鈥,鈥 shares Sylliboy. 鈥淚t means, 鈥榣et us help one another, together.鈥欌 Whenever Sylliboy works with another person 鈥 whether a fellow nurse, a community member or an advocate 鈥 this has remained their grounding principle.

鈥淢y views are equally as important as anyone else鈥檚, so let鈥檚 combine our strengths to benefit others and to find a solution. We need to meet in the middle.鈥

In addition to their work as a nurse practitioner, Sylliboy has been volunteering their time in other capacities to increase Indigenous representation, including speaking engagements like聽听辞谤听, or transforming queer spaces by performing as drag queen,聽.

Sylliboy has also engaged in various advisory and collaborative roles, including pediatric pain research with the聽聽at the IWK. Additionally, they have collaborated with 新加坡六合彩开奖直播 and CBU to promote anti-racism education and improved care for Indigenous patients. Most recently, their volunteer efforts have included raising awareness about HIV prevention in their communities.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really view it as work or volunteering,鈥 says Sylliboy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my responsibility to contribute where I can.鈥

They add that they know they need to continue to be vocal to make change. 鈥淚 have a responsibility to help transform spaces where our people, and other racialized communities can be more visible, and to bring opportunities for people to learn and to see themselves in those spaces,鈥 they say.

鈥淚 want to share my culture, its language, its beauty, its stories 鈥 and to help rebuild trust. I鈥檓 just getting started.鈥