In this episode of GrowAbility, Joe sits down with Mystery Furtado, a registered nurse and founder of Type Diabeat-It, a BIPOC-led diabetes organization. Mystery shares her personal journey with diabetes, the impact of food insecurity on marginalized communities, and her efforts to promote culturally relevant healthcare in Canada. She discusses her work in urban agriculture, growing African diaspora crops, and her entrepreneurial venture, Granny P’s Sea Moss Gel, which supports her non-profit initiatives. Mystery emphasizes the importance of community in her mission to improve food security, health education, and diabetes prevention.

Mystery Furtado is a passionate advocate for food security and holistic health. As an internationally trained nurse, she has dedicated her career to addressing the gaps in healthcare for marginalized communities, particularly in diabetes prevention. Mystery’s work extends beyond healthcare into urban agriculture, where she spearheaded London, Ontario’s first Black-led community garden. This initiative provides access to culturally relevant crops and promotes food literacy through hands-on programs. A single mother of two, Mystery is deeply committed to empowering her community and creating sustainable solutions for food insecurity. Her efforts have earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious "20’s in Her 20’s" award.

Type Diabeat-it

• diabeat-it.ca
• Instagram.com/typediabeatit
• Facebook.com/typediabeatit

Granny P's

• grannyp.ca
• Instagram.com/grannyp.ca
• Facebook.com/grannyp.ca

GrowAbility

• StoryHub: growabilitypod.com
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GrowAbility is hosted by Joe Gansevles and Holly Pugsley and produced by Joe Gansevles and Adam Caplan.

Special thanks to this week's guest Mystery Furtado.

Lighting and Camera Design by Kevin Labonte, with production support from Oliver Gansevles.

GrowAbility's production was made much easier with the help of Jesse Chen, Teri Fujioka, Zach Grossman, Zachary Meads, Leo Shin and Debora Camargo from Fanshawe College's Broadcasting Television and Film Production program. Thanks to Janice Robinson from Fanshawe for arranging for these students invaluable participation.

Holly Pugsley of Just Keep Growing provided the plants and made sure they looked great.

Audience and Marketing Strategy by Japs Kaur Miglani with support from Doruntina Uka and Tess Alcock.

Our theme music is Wandering William by Adrian Walter and can be found on SoundStripe.

Thanks as well to Hubert Orlowski for providing technical and audio engineering advice to help our...

Dr. Gabor Sass shares his passion for connecting people and ideas across various spheres of influence, emphasizing the importance of community involvement and sustainable practices. His insights into ecological planning and the impact of urban development on the environment, his work in permaculture principles and advocating for systems that respect nature and promote equitable sharing are firmly rooted in a desire for equity, belonging, and resilience. Gabor's conversation with Joe demonstrates the power of perseverance, collaboration, and innovative thinking in creating sustainable urban environments that connect people with their food and each other.

Dr. Gabor Sass is a recognized ecosystem scientist, sustainability expert, consultant, university instructor, writer and community activator who has lived in London with his family for 20+ years. Gabor is a part-time Assistant Professor at Western University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental science, urban sustainability and biogeography. He has over 20 years of research and consulting experience studying and reporting on the hydrology, ecology and related sustainability problems of boreal, agricultural, and urban landscapes across Canada.

Gabor is also co-founder of The PATCH, a not-for-profit advancing urban agriculture work in London. Gabor's community building includes initiatives like the Food Forests in Wood Street Park and West Lion's Park and the Pollinator Pathways Project, neighbourhood projects that have introduced residents to urban agricultural practices and current sustainability concerns. Gabor is a recognized environmentalist in London, receiving the Mayor’s Honour Roll for the Environment in 2019, serving as London Public Library’s inaugural Environmentalist-in-Residence and appearing frequently as speaker and panelist at public events. Gabor and his family work at implementing sustainable practices into their lifestyle wherever they can.

• The PATCH LONDON patchlondon.ca
• Dr. Gabor Sass on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabor-sass-a7a64091
• KeVA & Wood Street Park Food Forest: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Woodstreetparkfoodforest/

• StoryHub: GrowAbilityPod.com
• Socials & Partner Links: bio.site/growabilitypod

GrowAbility's usual host, Joe Gansevles, sits in the guest's chair on our very first episode. Producer Adam Caplan talks with Joe about the origins of this project and what you, our audience, can expect from GrowAbility.

We want to hear from you. Joe's email is joe@growabilitypod.com or just use our Contact form.

Follow our socials above, and find all our links, including the partner organizations Joe mentioned in his inteview at bio.site/growabilitypod.

Watch for new episodes every Wednesday.

• The PATCH London - The urban farm that started it all.
• Hutton House Association for Adults with Disabilities - One of the founding collaborators on this project, and the parent organization for The PATCH.
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