'Sad it's come to this,' says woman leaving the Yukon over lack of in-centre hemodialysis

A Whitehorse woman who's been travelling to B.C. each week for hemodialysis says she no longer has the energy to keep making the trip.

Dawn Jennings has lived in the Yukon for decades, but she's leaving the territory for Alberta this month because weekly travel to get hemodialysis in Vancouver has become too much.

"My life was and is and will always be in the Yukon," Jennings said. "So it's just very sad it's come to this."

Jennings was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. Complications from her illness led to kidney failure; once a couple of years ago and a second time last May. 

At that time, she was sent to Vancouver for treatment. She's been travelling back and forth to get regular hemodialysis ever since. 

That's because there's no in-centre hemodialysis in the Yukon. 

Jennings, 56, needs three dialysis treatments a week. She spends four days in Vancouver each week to get it.

Now Jennings is moving to Edmonton, where she grew up and can get regular hemodialysis treatments at a health centre.

Still, she says the decision to leave the Yukon has been a painful one.

"It breaks my heart," she said. "But I just have to, you know, soldier on and I have to do what's best for my overall health."

Jennings did not make her decision lightly. For months, she's been circulating a petition calling on the Yukon government to offer hemodialysis in a health-care facility.

Yukon NDP Leader Kate White presented Jennings's petition at the legislative assembly in March. At that time, she said it had more than 500 signatures. 

Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee maintained then that there are not enough people requiring hemodialysis in the Yukon to offer it at a local health-care facility.

As of March, 10 people in the territory undergo dialysis treatment at home, McPhee said.