Finnish-American/Ojibwa medical doctor to present documentary Sept. 19, 20

HANCOCK -- Finnish-American/Ojibwa medical doctor Arne Vainio will present and discuss his Emmy-nominated documentary film, Walking into the Unknown, at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, and at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.

Finnish-American/Ojibwe medical doctor Arne Vainio will present his Emmy-nominated film, Walking into the Unknown, Sept. 19 and 20 at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. (Photo courtesy Finlandia University)

The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Finlandia University and Portage Health.

Dr. Vainio is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and a physician at the Min-No-Aya-Win Human Services Clinic on the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Reservation, near Cloquet, Minn.

The film depicts Dr. Vainio’s exploration of health and heritage as he undergoes the very health screenings that he had long been recommending for his middle-aged male patients, but neglected to undergo himself.

Co-produced by Ivy Vainio, Visumm Media, and presented by Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT), Walking into the Unknown will have viewers "building a personal connection with Dr. Arne Vainio -- feeling the health risk burdens and analyzing thought-provoking questions that are faced in the most critical turning point of one’s life," according to a press release prepared by NAPT.

For more information, contact Hilary Virtanen at 906-487-7514.