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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 30, 2007 - 5 Family's plight sparks call for accessible dental care Continued from page 1 The 46-year-old father of three girls and his wife were presented with a cheque for more than $42,000 Saturday, at a fundraising spaghetti dinner held at Munn's United Church. It's the culmination of donations deposited into a trust fund and countless efforts by many people including the Salvation Army, the Oakville Professional Firefighters Association Local 1582, retired local firefighter Dave Sayer, Ward 5 Councillor Marc Grant and his wife Tracy, Munn's United Church and the Oakville Parent Child Centre. "Thank you to all the people who have helped us," said Moses through a translator. The money will cover the family's mortgage payments on their townhouse while Moses learns to live without vision and the family begins to rebuild their lives, as they did five years ago when they immigrated here from South Korea. Moses' dire health status over the past five months negatively impacted the family's ability to keep their business running and they were forced to sell it at a price that only covered the debt owed on it. But the community support has strengthened Moses' resolve to help others facing blindness, as well as ensure dental care is accessible to all Ontarians. The whole ordeal began with a toothache back in October 2006. The variety store owner of Lee's Milk Plus couldn't afford the $1,500 dental bill so he forwent treatment. But by January the tooth abscessed causing toxic bacteria to travel through his body. It resulted in two emergency surgeries and months of hospitalization. Eventually, the rare infection permanently robbed Moses of his eyesight. He was released from hospital last week, his health restored. This is why Moses is supporting a letter-writing campaign initiated by Munn's United Church demanding that the Ontario government include basic dental care as part of the provincial health insurance program. The letter states that: "As Ontarians, we have always tried to protect the vulnerable. That protection must include basic dental care. Allowing people to suffer from tooth decay, to be unable to eat properly due to gum disease or to lose their eyesight because of a tooth infection is simply unacceptable." Copies of the letter were available at Saturday's spaghetti dinner. Anyone interested in sending one to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care George Smitherman should call or email Munn's United Church at 905-2578435, or office@munnsunited.com. The financial and health dilemmas faced by the Han family highlights an all too familiar scenario taking place locally in many struggling households, said Grant, a Town councillor in the ward where Han and his wife operated their convenience store. "Oakville is known as a community of well-off people, but there are many, like Han's family, who are one pay cheque away from losing everything they have worked so hard to have." While it's reassuring that help was provided when the call was made, Grant is concerned about the plight of those families that don't make the news pages. We Pay the GST& PST * Until June 16, 2007 · Lexington · Henredon · Century Free table pad with purchase of dining room set (Value $349) · Thomasville · Drexel Heritage · Stanley unique stylish exotic *See store for details BUCKINGHAM CENTER TABLE $000 409 BRANT ST. BURLINGTON 905-333-6670 1-888-846-7845 Monday to Saturday 9:30-5:30, Thursday & Friday 9:30-9:00, Sunday 12:00-5:00 w w w. e l i z a b e t h i n t e r i o r s . c o m