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B2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 22, 2000 safest C contest Arts TO ENTER THIS CONTEST surf to: www.toronto.com/artswest and send us an email or fax your name, complete address and telephone number to 905-615-4171. Community builds centre for cancerpatients By Helen Brent, MSW S P E C IA L T O T H E BEAVER When cancer strikes, it shat ters the life you knew. Nothing is as it was. Suddenly, you're like Alice fallen through the looking glass. Everything is distorted, unfamiliar, and scary -- nothing makes sense any more. You want so badly to restore yourself and your world again, but it's hard to do it alone. So where can you turn? As someone who has expe rienced the trauma of cancer, I know only too well how impor tant it is to have the support and care of family, friends, health care professionals, caring vol unteers, and community resources to lean on. To para phrase Hillary Clinton: It takes a community to help one through. Over the past eight years, an organization called Wellspring has evolved into a wonderfully refreshing and vitally important member of the cancer care community in the GTA. In an age of government cutbacks and increasing privatization, Wellspring stands as an oasis of living with cancer. Accepting the help and support of others is no longer seen as a sign of weakness or dependence, but as an essential aspect of the process of healing and recov ery. Given the empirical evi dence that is emerging, medi cine and science are now begin ning to acknowledge that these psychosocial connections are far more important than previ ously recognized. In so doing, we are confirming as a society what ancient civilizations knew intuitively: There is an impor tant link between the life of a community and the health and well-being of its individual members. When Anne Armstrong Gibson was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve, 1988, she soon realized that this vital link between the individual patient and the inherent support of the community was lacking in the institutional healthcare framework. Anne believed that a new vision and model of can cer care was required, and the idea of Wellspring was bom. Since Wellspring's inception at The Coach House in down town Toronto in 1992, they have seen the demand for its services grow to such an extent that they opened a new support centre on the grounds of Sunnybrook and W omen's College Health Sciences Centre in November 1999. In June 2000, there will be the inaugu ration of another centre in Oakville, to serve the regions of Halton and Peel. Plans are well underway to open a Wellspring centre in London this fall to serve the population of south western Ontario. In time, Anne's vision and legacy will see Wellsprings open across Ontario and Canada. My own involvement with Wellspring has been very rewarding, as a member and volunteer. As a member, I have had the opportunity to interact with so many other members in a genuine exchange of individ ual trials and triumphs, and a rich sharing of information and knowledge. I have also been privileged to be part of a team of over 100 volunteers in pro viding peer support coun selling, developing and facili tating group programs, and par ticipating in committee work. I am especially pleased at this time to be working with an exceptional group of volun teers, healthcare providers, community leaders, and Wellspring staff involved in launching the new Halton-Peel facility. Through Wellspring, I have been embraced by the commu nity in my journey of healing, and have been fortunate to con tribute to expanding that com munity in turn. Subsequent articles in this series will feature Wellspring's programs, volunteer training and support, corporate sponsors and fundraisers -- bringing into focus the important role of various members of the com munity in evolving and sustain ing a supportive cancer care network in Halton-Peel. For more information about Wellspring, call 416-961-1928 or em a il: feedback@wellspring.ca H elen B rent earned her Master o f Social Work from the University o f Toronto, and is a member o f Wellspring' s Board o f Directors. She also co-facilitates a program o f spiritual care fo r people living with cancer. Win Free Tickets for the following events: Heritage Theatre, Brampton April 14, The Nylons Peel Heritage Museum, Brampton 2 Family Passes, for free admission. Meadowvale Theatre, Mississauga April 8, Wingfield Unbound, Rod Beattie Living Arts Centre, Mississauga April 18, Love Letters, Martha Henry and Rod Beattie May 17, Mississauga Arts Awards Gala Museums of Mississauga 2 Family Passes, for free admission. Oakville Centre for Performing Arts April 15, Lom e Elliott, Canadian comic. Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum, Oakville 2 Family Passes, for free admission. Names will be drawn on March 31st. (1 entry per family please) For up-to-date information on events in the Halton Peel Region call the ArtsWest hotline at 905-615-4376 or 1-877-278-7976 or www.toronto.com/artswest community-based care, where compassionate support, educa tion, and leading edge pro gramming are provided to can cer patients and their families, free of charge, in a warm, wel coming environment. Based on a rapidly growing body of research over the past two decades, considerable knowledge has been accumu lated demonstrating the posi tive impact of social support on health. For example, reaching out for help by joining a sup port group can significantly reduce psychological stress, and enable cancer patients and their loved ones to better cope with this life-threatening ill ness. Social and emotional sup port are invaluable in decreas ing feelings of isolation and loneliness which are so com monly experienced by people FURNISH YOUR OFFICE Alzheimer patient likes going to ` w orkprogram ' For M acLellan, who attends the program five days a week, the centre is both a relaxing haven and a place of purpose. "Every m orning, Dad asks if he's going to his work program," says Jason. "H e's com fortable here now, regarding it as a focal point of his day." Jason's own experience with the Seniors' Day Program has been "great." Since A1 now resides with Jason, his wife, Lisa, and their two young children, the respite care provided by the VON centre is not only wel come, but necessary. Jason explains that "A lzheim er's affects the caregiver as much as the vic tim, because half the time the patient doesn't realize what their loss is, but the caregiver does. We're the ones who structure their day - getting dressed, brushing teeth, taking medications and vitamins, assisting them out the door - just simple day to day things that have to be done." On weekends, A1 stays with his younger son, Jaret, who also lives in Oakville. The MacLellans realize that the day will come when A1 can no longer be ade quately cared for at home. Doctors have told Jason that early onset A lzheim er's tends to progress rapidly. To prepare for this time, A1 has been placed on a waiting list at Allendale, a long term care facility in Milton. Despite this prognosis, Jason believes that the treat ment of Alzheimer Disease is an "art, not a science." He adds, "We don't have a crys tal ball." Come November, the family will move into a newly constructed home with a separate bath and bedroom for Al. W hatever the future holds, Jason will always be grateful for the time he's had with his father, and for the assistance provided by the VON. U ndaunted by his cir cumstances, Jason says, "I never feel that I've been dealt a low blow. I try to look for the silver lining." Anyone interested in obtaining more information on these and other Alzheimer services offered by the VON, can call 8479559 or 827-8800. FOR LESS! L r on Bush furniture 6-Year Warranty SWING-OUT ARMOIRE · Holds 36 CDs · Elevated foot rest Swing-out work surface · Heritage Pine finish · 84-3/4 h. x 40-3/4 46444 x 26-1/2 d Our Price 595.00 Instant Rebate -50.00 Price After Rebate Quick & Easy Healthy Eating Fair Lynn Roblin of Oakville, dietician, Toronto Star colum nist and co-author of two books, Great Food Fast and Suppertime Survival, will be demonstrating her Hurry Up and Fill-Me Up Burritos at Halton's Quick & Easy Healthy Eating Fair at Mainway Arena, on Saturday March 25th, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Roblin will be demonstrating at 1 p.m. Other cooking demonstrations include tasty after school snacks, 10:15 a.m.; tofuiti, 10:30 a.m.; Hummus Made Easy, 11:30 a.m.; Eating for Energy and Ecstasy, noon; and Vietnamese salad rolls, 12:30 p.m., plus a Body Works fitness, 1:45 p.m. Mainway Arena is at W alker's Line and Mainway, north of the QEW in Burlington. Admission is $1, children free. ALL-IN-ONE ____ i COMPUTER WORKSTATION · Extra-wide keyboard shelf · Lock on CPU door · Shelf for printer/fax · Natural Cherry finish · 60-1/4 h. x 62 w. x 29-3/8 d. 382302 HALLMARK SERIES Our Price 496.00 Instant Rebate -50.00 Price After Rebate · Desk with hideaway return · Decorative Lyons Oak finish · 30-1/2 h. x 53-1/2 w .x 27-1/2 d. 37206 Our Price 435.0C _ Instant Roboto -50.00 Price After Rebate $ 385 DESK ONLY fJ i& ita u r a /it March 21 to April 2 , 2 0 0 0 Join us for an exciting array of freshly prepared fish & seafood dishes. 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(E. of 410) STORE HOURS Mon-Fri 8AM-9PM ·8 0 Great Lakes Drive ·2 9 3 7 Highway 7 East Sat 9AM-6PM Sun UAM-5PM · 2460 Winston Churchill B u s in e s s ^ KITCHENS« BEDROOMS · BATHROOMS * WALL UNITS S % a> .E FREE NEXT-DAY DELIVERY VISIT OUR PH: 1 -8 0 0 -6 6 8 * 6 8 8 8 WEBSITE AT: www.businessdepot.com FX: 1 -8 0 0 -5 6 7 -2 2 6 0 d e p O f f i c e S upp'ies . warehouse Prices 415 0 South Service Rd. Burlington w1 South Service Rd < QEW ! © ,t Custom Designs, Custom Finishes, Top Quality Cabinetry, Competitively Priced, Free In-Flome Service, Lifetime Warranty 632-0029 .abinet oncepts