G.G. Niemi
G.G. Niemi (born Glenn Niemi in the mid-1950s) is a Finnish-Canadian writer, retired social worker and musician from Thunder Bay. He has written widely shared memoir essays about growing up with a physical disability in Port Arthur and about the two doctors who attended his premature birth — Dr. Stephen Morton and Dr. David Burnford — both of whom later died by gunfire.[1][2]
Birth and the two doctors
Niemi was born prematurely at St. Joseph's Hospital in Port Arthur in the mid-1950s, almost two months early; he turned 70 in December 2024. A Sister at the hospital reportedly told his parents he was "not expected to survive." The attending paediatrician, Dr. Stephen Morton, kept watch over his incubator through the night and is credited by Niemi with saving his life; Morton's partner Dr. David Burnford attended the birth but did not join the overnight vigil. Niemi remembered Morton as a kind, humble man in a worn tweed jacket who made house calls with a black medical bag.[1][2]
He was born with an obstructed bowel, which required emergency surgery, and with hip dysplasia, for which he spent two years in a spica body cast.[1]
Childhood and disability
Niemi learned to walk by attending the Crippled Children's Clinic in Fort William, where visiting Toronto specialists assessed his progress; among them was Dr. Robert Salter, inventor of the Salter osteotomy. In about Grade 5 Niemi underwent a Salter osteotomy with a bone graft at St. Joseph's Hospital. The surgeon, Dr. Evans, left a silver dollar under his pillow "for his bravery," which a relative said showed he had sisu — a Finnish term for courage in the face of adversity.[1]
Easter Seals
In 1968 Niemi was chosen as the Easter Seals "Timmy" for the Port Arthur–Fort William Kiwanis Club campaign. At a kick-off dinner at the Prince Arthur Hotel he met the mayors of both Lakehead cities and gave an impromptu speech alongside the campaign's "Tammy"; he was photographed for the newspapers and interviewed on CKPR television, where he met the entertainer Gordie Tapp. Easter Seals Ontario featured his story during its centennial in 2022.[1][3]
Music
A drummer, Niemi played mainly in bands fronted by his cousin, the singer Kevin Waara, and paid for much of his post-secondary education with his earnings. On a Nashville recording session he met Brenda Lee at Woodland Sound Studios. He co-wrote songs with Waara and the Thunder Bay musician Ken Moore, including "Let's All Stand – A Song for Canada" and "Makin' Music on Mercier," the latter appearing on Waara's album HorsePlay and airing on the CBC Radio programme Basic Black.[1]
Later life and writing
Niemi worked for the City of Thunder Bay as a supervisor of community support programs. He won the "name the millennium decade" contest on Arthur Black's national CBC radio show, and in 2002, at a Pierre Berton book signing in Thunder Bay, he gave a lift home to Prue Morton, the widow of the doctor who had saved his life. In 2024 he won the CBC Thunder Bay scary-story contest with "The Visitation." He publishes his memoirs on Medium under the name talefinn and lives in Thunder Bay with his wife, Linda.[1][2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 G.G. Niemi, "My Hip Parade: A True Tale of Mystery, Music & Murder", Medium, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 G.G. Niemi, "Two of My Doctors Who Died by the Gun", Medium, 2022.
- ↑ "Glenn Niemi's Story", Easter Seals.
External links
- G.G. Niemi on Medium
- "Glenn Niemi's Story" — Easter Seals