The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

31 Friday , Septem ber 3, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m endure more than 50 operations and there are more to come. For years her life has revolved in and around hospitals. She had been in six different hospitals, spending six weeks at Savannah Memorial Hospital where she was placed in an induced coma for much of the time, flown by Lear jet to Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto, which was followed by time at Mount Sinai Hospital, St. Michael's Hospital, Westpark Health Care Centre in Etobicoke and the Credit Valley Hospital. Because of the removal of so much of her intestines, she can only eat small amounts of food at a time and has to be very selective about what she puts in her mouth. The wrong food can have a devastating effect on her digestion. Understandably her pain is constant, although at some times worse than other times. Medication is accepted as being a constant factor in her life. Knowing she only has enough energy to do so much, she plans her activities accord- ingly, scheduling her events so she can make the most out of the time when she is not rest- ing and recovering. For important events I have to plan. Everything has to be planned and accounted for. I need to prioritize. Sometimes I want to have a full day and be productive, but my body just can't cope. The lack of energy bothers her most of all since what she wants to do conflicts with the sheer physical limitations. Every day I had to fight just to get out of bed. But I was happy to be alive. I never had depression or anger. It was not a luxury I could afford. I had to focus on getting well. But she does admit that being positive can be daunting, especially when there are the really bad days. She still makes herself get up and out. It is so easy to stay in bed and let the pain rule my life. The chronic pain and fatigue are major hurdles in my life. She notes she is lucky to get one good hour out of 24, so it is always a struggle. As well as relying on her friends and fam- ily, Melissa is supported by a strong faith. I believe that God had me live for a reason. Her faith is a big part of her life. It is a big part of who I am. I go to church every Sunday. And I speak to God every day. I do feel that I'm fulfilling my destiny, it is part of my life's journey. Melissa's family was always at her side. Her father gave his support until his death in 2008, as well as her brother, Michael, who graduated from university with her in a spe- cial ceremony, and her mother, who became her constant supporter and best friend, help- ing her along at every step of the way. For six years her life revolved around hos- pitals and dealing with recovery so she lost touch with the community. I was desperately a fish out of water try- ing to get back to activities. I have trouble socializing and I can't do any activities. To get out into the community she joined the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) in Oakville and edited its newsletter for a year and a half. This helped her to engage with others and she developed an awareness of value of working for the com- munity. Through the CFUW she developed a scholarship fund this year, which will be giv- ing $1,000 each year for up to five years, to a woman with disabilities in university or a woman studying disability issues. She was honoured for her volunteer work this year with a Spirit Award from the Town of Oakville. Before the crash Melissa was planning to go to law school. My goal was to help people who were vul- nerable and needed assistance, she says, but now she struggled with my identity. Who am I? What do I have to offer? Volunteering had always been a part of her life and when she raised money to pay for remedial equipment she found that very empowering. This is what I can do. I was chosen to speak to people to rally them around and help them help others. That interest gave rise to her work as co- chair of the Rick Hanson Wheels in Motion day at Appleby College where more than $45,000 was raised, to the holding of the first Accessibility Sailing Program in Oakville this summer, as well as being chair of Oakville's Accessibility Advisory Committee, and direc- tor of Charter Ability, which uses the power boat she loaned to the organization to accommodate the disabled. People with disabilities face so many chal- lenges and boundaries, says Vassallo. There is a lot we cannot do. But on the water we can feel that anything is possible. It was through her associations that she started to develop the idea of making it a mis- sion to be an advocate for the disabled. The goal is to remove barriers for disabil- ities across Canada. I want to bring accessi- bility to people with disabilities, said Melissa. Whatever barriers impede that per- son from interacting in society, whether it is mental or physical, for it is often a combina- tion where people don't always understand the programs and equipment available to meet their needs. She is now 30, and admits there are still some holes in her personal life. But since she has made it her goal to do what she can to try to make life easier for people with disabil- ities, she is working towards a masters degree in disability studies at York University to help her do that. Above all, she hopes to challenge stereotypes about the disabled and feels she can be a good example of a person living with a disability, a person who is happy, has a lot of friends and is very productive. It is really important that no matter what the situation is, we try to do as well as possi- ble. We all have bad days. But anything is pos- sible if you put your mind to it. If you have a bad day, the next day is a new day. Arthritis month MICHELLE SIU/ OAKVILLE BEAVER RAISING THE FLAG: Mayor Rob Burton (left) raises the Arthritis Society flag to kick start Arthritis Awareness Month with Kristen McWatters (centre) and Lorna Catrambone from the society on Wednesday morning at Oakville Town Hall.The society is to pushing the message of arthritis in the work- place as it claims that a majority of Canadians with arthritis are of working age. Crash survivor wants to open doors and inspire Continued from page30