Union US Sister Gertrude Connolly Gets Help from Handi-Wheels

The following article is reprinted with permission from the Handi-Wheels newsletter.

Three years ago, after Gertrude Connolly came to the Sacred Heart Convent in Fargo from Arizona, she noticed a bump on her back. Thinking she had dislocated a bone from a recent fall, she went to the doctor to have it checked out. She was not expecting a diagnosis of bone cancer. New to Fargo and unsure how she was going to get to her radiation treatments, she asked around about possible transit services and was given Handi-Wheels Transportation’s name. “If I didn’t have Handi-Wheels, I don’t know what I would have done. The drivers were beautiful, taking me for radiation five days a week for seven weeks. I came out of radiation okay but it didn’t take all the cancer,” she says in an Irish accent. She went to Sioux Falls, S.D., for a six-hour surgery. Although the outcome of the surgery was good, she said that she was told bone cancer is like splashes of paint on a wall, some you never see, and you can never get it all. Despite the prognosis, Gertrude remains positive, upbeat, and gracious.

Gertrude grew up in Ireland and became a nun focusing on education. In 197 6 she came to the US, to California, and later moved to Arizona before eventually coming to Fargo. “I didn’t mind moving here,” she said, “Arizona was too hot.” She has led a busy life giving back to the communities in which she has lived. She has taught high school students, worked with inmates in prison, helped create an afterschool program, and helped with the homeless.

She remains active in the community and walks to many places. However, if her medical appointments are too far away, then she will ride Handi-Wheels. “I have the greatest admiration for Handi-Wheels and the drivers. They are lovely, helpful, kind, and always on time. I couldn’t say enough about them. They are good fun, telling me stories, and one driver even plays Irish songs for me” says Gertrude.

“Through Handi-Wheels I have gotten to know Fargo, see the beauty of the place. Driving through the city has made up for my sickness. It’s given me the opportunity to get out, forget myself, and see the beauty of the city and the people. It’s been a blessing in disguise.”