by Doug Ashbury and Janet Smellie
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 24/97) - The family of Violet Mackenzie now faces non-medical costs which they are finding difficult to bear.

Mackenzie, 38, underwent ground-breaking aneurysm surgery at University of Alberta Hospital Saturday morning. Her recovery will include several days in hospital in Edmonton and Yellowknife.

Donations to the family can be forwarded to the CIBC bank, care of Mackenzie's husband, Chris Rodgers.

During Mackenzie's heart-stopping procedure, she was clinically dead for a few minutes giving doctors time to repair the aneurysm, a weakening of the artery wall.

To save her life, a team of doctors led by neurosurgeon Max Findlay hooked her to a heart-lung machine then cooled and drained her blood, slowing her metabolism and deflating her blood vessels, to repair a damaged carotid artery.

The procedure made headline news across Canada.

In a similar ground-breaking operation in Toronto earlier this month a Surrey, B.C., man was rendered lifeless for 18 minutes as part of a 15-hour procedure to repair an aneurysm.

No one knows how much time doctors have to clip the weakened section of the artery but doctors suspect 30 to 45 minutes is the outside of the envelope.

Mackenzie, daughter of Dogrib elder Elizabeth Mackenzie, will be in Edmonton hospital at least two weeks before being transferred to Stanton Regional Hospital.

Rodgers, with his wife, said Sunday her condition was improving.

Donations will go to cover travel and other expenses during what could be a long recovery.

The Elks Lodge has already donated $1,000.

Elks finance committee chairman Jim France said the money, from a special emergency lodge bingo fund, was sent Sunday to Rodgers.

Currently collecting unemployment insurance, Rodgers has been without work since he was laid off from Native Communications Society last March.

Mackenzie, a freelance interpreter, was laid off from her full-time position with the Language Bureau this summer.

Their children, Sylvia, 6, and Johnny, 8, are staying with family in Yellowknife.