GUZDZIOL, Dr. Wladyslaw, M.D. (Poznan), D. Obst. RCOG (London) - 93, Port Hawkesbury, died Friday, March 16, 2007, with his wife and daughter by his side. Born in Osiny, Western Poland, April 21, 1913, he completed his Doctorate of Medicine (M.D.) at the University of Poznan in May 1937, and a Diploma in Obstetrics of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London, in March 1950. During Second World War Campaign in Poland, he was taken prisoner of war by the Soviets and put into the infamous Starobielsk prison camp in the Soviet Union. During a short period of prisoner exchange between the Soviets and Germans, he was put on a list of exchange prisoners and was taken as a prisoner of war by the Germans where he remained in captivity in Germany for five and a half years surviving seven different camps. While in captivity, he survived typhus, a brain-attacking disease, after being in a coma for seven days during an epidemic at Christmas time in 1941. After the war, he learned that all the prisoners, some of whom were his colleagues in the Starobielsk camp, were ordered executed at Katyn by an order of Stalin. Liberated by the British Army, he served as a lieutenant in the Polish Navy under British Command from 1945 to 1947. At that time, he met his wife, Anna, who was a WRN in the Naval Base. They were married in London in 1947. After being discharged from the navy, he was a house surgeon in the Northampton General Hospital for two and a half years, one year of that in the Barrat Maternity Home. After that, he worked as a general practitioner in the town of Raunds, Northamptonshire. He came to Canada in 1951, invited by a Citizens Committee of West Bay Road in Cape Breton. He continued in general practice, including obstetrics, in West Bay Road, and from 1952 to 1996 in Port Hawkesbury. He had a large practice, being on call 24 hours every day, seven days per week, covering a very large area as far as Port Hood, Malagawatch, River Denys, and across the strait to St. Francis Harbour, with house calls. For many years his waiting room looked like an emergency room in a hospital. Three babies were delivered in his house. He retired in January 1996, after over 55 years of practicing medicine, 45 of which were in Canada. He was President of the Antigonish-Guysborough Medical Society in 1982, District Medical Officer from 1952, Medical Advisor to Stora Forest Industries, to Georgia-Pacific Gypsum Company and to the Canadian National Railway. He was nominated Medical Examiner for Inverness and Richmond Counties and Designated Physician for Treatment of Seafarers in 1989. He continued to be a member of the Canadian and British Medical Associations. He was an invited participant to a "Justice in Canada" Conference in Pugwash in 1977. Awards conferred were a Life Membership of the Medical Society of Nova Scotia in 1986, Honorary Member of the Staff of St. Martha's Hospital in 1996, Marcinkowski Medal granted by the Senate of the University of Posnan in 1989, and Life Membership of the Royal Canadian Legion in 1995, and Honorary Life Membership of the Royal Canadian Legion in 1999. His contributions to the area were recognized at a testimonial dinner on April 20, 1996. He prided himself on being a doctor for poor people. He liked to work under Medicare in England and in Canada. He believed that universal health care, funded by the government, was one of the biggest gains for humanity since the French Revolution. His hobbies were soccer, tennis and chess at a younger age, later cross-country skiing, gardening and landscaping. He loved to study foreign languages. He had knowledge of Latin, Greek, and was fluent in Polish, English, French, Russian and German. He was an avid reader, with a fervent interest in history, particularly the events surrounding the Second World War. He was afflicted with a severe form of spinal stenosis. The collapse of lumbar vertebra in 1999 left him with a large scoliosis, which caused progressive difficulty with walking and severe chronic pain to the end of his life. He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Anna; daughter, Barbara (Martin van Lierop) and family in Poland. Visitation will be held 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Sunday, March 18, and 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Monday, March 19, with a Legion service at 7 p.m. and a Vigil service 8:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, all in Dennis Haverstock Funeral Home, Port Hawkesbury. Funeral mass will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 20, in St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Port Hawkesbury, Father Bill Crispo officiating. Donations in memory of Dr. Guzdziol may be made to the Red Cross Society, Canadian Cancer Society, St. Joseph's Cemetery Fund or a charity of your choice. Words of comfort may be forwarded to the family at www.haverstocks.com