George Tuccaro:
Northerner continues to learn life's lessons
Article by Jenn Kelland
George
Tuccaro's voice is full of hope and happiness, despite a life
that even he will admit has been heavy with loss and pain.
As he shared his story with Windspeaker, he laughed and took
time to reflect. At the end of each anecdote, he explained how
he grew from his lifetime of experiences.
At 55 years old, Tuccaro is one of this year's National Aboriginal
Achievement Award winners in media and communications. He said
it is a field he just "fell into."
Born in 1950 with the help of a midwife in a log cabin in Fort
Chipewyan, Alta., Tuccaro was the middle child of three boys.
But right from the start, it wasn't easy-going. By the age
of two-and-a-half he was hospitalized with tuberculosis and spinal
meningitis.
"The mortality rate was very, very high. Nine out of 10
did not make it through," he said. "The doctor came
up to my mum and said, 'I think George is not going to make it
through the night. You'd better say a prayer for him.' She did
say a prayer and it must have worked because I'm here today!"
Despite the recovery, Tuccaro's illness meant he spent more than
two years in hospital in Fort Smith, N.W.T. When he was released,
Tuccaro said he was sent to residential school for six years,
robbing him of the chance to get to know his parents well at
all.
"I remember my mum walking away and leaving us with these
strange people who spoke a different language. They dressed differently.
They were the nuns..."
PEOPLE OF HONOUR INDEX