Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams is unfazed by the debate going on in Canada after he decided to have heart surgery in the United States rather than at home.
“It’s my heart, it’s my health and it’s my choice,” he said in an interview this week with Transcontinental.
”It was an unselfish solution because I’m looking to try and get back on the job ASAP.”
The premier said that he has “full confidence” in Newfoundland’s health-care. “All my testing was done here, my diagnosis was done here, I’ve had other surgeries,” said Williams. “If this surgery would have been able to be done in Burin I would have gone to Burin.”
Williams knew he would need heart surgery late last spring, and said that the decision to look out-of-province was based on the advice of local cardiologists.
The traditional procedure available in Canada would have involved cutting the sternum and popping open the rib cage. Instead, Williams opted for a procedure in Florida involving a small incision under the armpit and use of special instruments.
“As a result, there’s minimal physical damage to your body,” he said.
Games chief says Olympics has sparked euphoria among Canadians
Vancouver Winter Games chief John Furlong told reporters Wednesday that the Olympics has produced euphoria in Canadians and celebrations are happening coast to coast.
Furlong believes that the Games have changed the city of Vancouver and its residents.
“There is a certain confidence and contentment here,” said Furlong. “People are living this with us. It is something that will last and it’s bigger than just Vancouver.”
“People are celebrating over the whole of Canada and that’s something that’s new to us. … There’s euphoria here. People want to feel good. The city is feeling good about itself.”
He said that organizers were surprised by the amount of people still coming into the downtown area to view the Olympic flame.
“We’ve had from 2,000 to 12,000 people at the cauldron late at night,” he said. “That’s something we did not expect.”
