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6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, February 17, 2011 OPINION Have a heart February is Heart Month in Canada. Do you know heart disease if one of the top killers in this country? Do you know more than 69,000 people died of cardiovascular diseases, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada? Would you recognize the signs of someone suffering a heart attack? Many people wouldn't and given it's important to seek medical assistance as soon as possible, St. John Ambulance provided the following list to help you know when it's time to seek help. Signs and symptoms include: · Pain that can be described as heaviness, tightness, squeezing, pressure, crushing, indigestion, aching jaw, sore arms, or upper back pain · Pale skin · Sweating · Nausea and/or vomiting · Shortness of breath · Fatigue · Shock If you suspect a person is having a heart attack, begin first aid. · Get medical help immediately. If you must leave the casualty alone, make sure to place them at rest before you go. · Place the person at rest in a comfortable position; in most cases, the semi-sitting position is best. This will help take stress off the heart. · Make the person comfortable. Loosen tight clothing around the neck, chest and waist. Do your best to reassure them and reduce their fear-- anxiety can cause more stress on the heart. · If they should lose consciousness and stop breathing, begin CPR. On average, heart attack casualties take four and a half hours to get to a hospital from the onset of symptoms. The main reason for this delay is that it takes people a long time to accept something serious is wrong. If you suspect a heart attack, seek medical attention immediately. The sooner help arrives, the better the chances of survival. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Do you think a merger between the Toronto Stock Exchange and its London, England counterpart is a good move? · Yes (21%) · No (55%) · Not sure (24%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Sally Ann says thanks for support Dear editor, Once again the people, businesses, service clubs, organizations and other churches have shown their support in being generous of their energy and time in volunteering for The Salvation Army Christmas Campaign, donations and your generous giving. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated, to the many volunteers who stood at the kettles and I would like to express my gratitude to the five locations that welcomed us this past Christmas. We couldn't raise the funds we need to help vulnerable and marginalized people without the support of our many friends and partners. Our kettle target was $60,000 and we raised a little over $67,386 and $25,000 through our mailer campaign. Your gifts will allow us to help give hope now and throughout the year by providing: · Christmas hampers, vouchers & toys · Emergency assistance of food, shelter and clothing & transportation · Friendship and practical support · Summer and day camps for children · Information and referral services · Child and parent programs It is with appreciation that The Salvation Army of Georgetown extends its thanks to you for your generosity. Renée Clarke, Major Georgetown Salvation Army Our most heartfelt thanks to: Knox Presbyterian Church (GT), Norval Presbyterian Church, St. Andrew's United Church and Solel Synagogue, to all who purchased our book and gave donations. It was truly one of those opportunities of a lifetime. LD McKenzie,WICM 2010 Mission Team Leader Mission a success Dear editor, On behalf of the teens and young adults from Georgetown who went on the humanitarian trip to help at Winnipeg Inner City Missions last August, I would like to thank our church families, friends and supporters within the community, and The Independent & Free Press. The team had an amazing time, learned much, built fantastic longterm relationships, and even helped. Photos and reports by participants are posted online: http://picasaweb. google.com/margie371/ManitobaMission2010# We were able to send some boxes of new and used items at Christmas for use in Christmas hampers. We have tentative plans to return in summer of 2012. Families helped Dear editor, On behalf of Links2Care, I would like to extend my appreciation to everyone who helped to make our recent Holiday Hamper Program a success. Many families in our community struggle each and every day to make ends meet and our program helps to relieve some of the financial pressures during the holiday season. This past year, 191 families, including 420 children, received hampers of new clothing and toys. We could not provide this assistance without the help of churches, businesses, schools, organizations and individuals who assisted by sponsoring families, and by providing monetary and gift donations. Your support and generosity is very much appreciated. Cathy Gerrow, Community Support Co-ordinator More letters pgs. 7, 8 Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.