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© \ The prs: sev? ocs’ a Eber" pussel Continued from page 17 on in Kingston, taking additional training. Finally finishing school in 1991, the young couple began searching medical journals for an “adventure.” They considered opportunities in Sioux Lookout and Dryden in northern Ontario before settling on Yellow- knife, Northwest Territories, far north where the tundra kisses the Arctic. Packing all their worldly possessions into a trailer, the adventur- ous couple began the 5,000 km trek northwest, eventually settling in a cramped cabin on a small island connected by a narrow cause- way. “It was actually a shack,” Steve says with a smile looking at Elizabeth. “I think it was about 400 sq. ft.’ Originally planned as a three or four month stopover, the Russells ended up staying in Yellowknife for two full years, giving birth to their first son, Peter, while living in the remote cabin. Despite the isolation and harsh, long winters, they loved the far north. “We really liked the people. They were yery friendly and welcoming,” Flizabeth recalled. In addition to administering medical They settled into a small, cramped cabin on an islolated island near Yellowknife services to the people of the territories, the young ‘docs’ were also required to fly into small, remote communities for delivering babies and attending emergencies. Elizabeth noted that while they were in these remote areas they provided teaching and training for residents and nurses in the communities. “We stayed on much longer than we had planned before finally deciding, with an eight-month old son, we wanted to be closer to our families,” says Elizabeth. Not long after making the decision to leave the north, they packed up and returned to Ontario. It was a chance meeting with people from Port Perry that determined their next stop. “We had met a family while in Yellowknife who suggested we 20 FOCUS - AUGUST 2010