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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 30, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER President Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager The courage to speak out Rhonda and Neil Carlin showed an inordinate amount of courage when they decided to tell the tragic story of their daughter to this newspaper. One cannot imagine the pain and never ending sorrow this Oakville couple has been experiencing since their beloved daughter Sara took her own life on May 6, 2007. We can only sympathize not empathize. Losing a loved one is never easy under any circumstance, but how does a mom and dad grapple with the fact their child was so desperate that she chose death over life? For all intents and purposes, Sara had everything going for her. Her marks in school were impressive; she was athletic, caring with an evergrowing circle of friends. No one truly knows what went on in Sara's mind that fateful day, but her parents are convinced that a powerful anti-depressive drug was a major if not the contributing factor in the death of their daughter. They knew Sara had been prescribed a drug known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or Paxil. But what they didn't know was that Health Canada had issued advisories back in 2003 and 2004 stating the drug should not be given to children and adolescents under 18 years of age due to a possible increased risk of suicidal events. Sara was 17 when she first began taking the drug. GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of the particular SSRI prescribed to Sara, noted the drug has been used by "tens of millions of patients and has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment." Statements like that have done nothing to quell Neil and Rhonda's desire for an inquest into their daughter's suicide, a request that -- so far --has been denied. They have sent an e-mail to MPP Kevin Flynn asking that he step in and be a voice for their daughter by pressing for an inquest. The Carlins also hope that by baring their souls to the media that something good can be obtained from something so tragic. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR With all the complaints about the medical system today, I would like to share my story, which can only be seen as positive. Some five weeks ago, I was awakened shortly after midnight by an unusual arm and chest pain, along with slight nausea. My wife called for an ambulance, which arrived silently as requested. I was treated for a possible heart event and dispatched to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) emergency for tests and monitoring. By the afternoon, I had Medical system came through in emergency undergone a stress test which I failed. A meeting with the cardiologist resulted in my transfer to Trillium Hospital the next day. At 5:30 p.m., I underwent an angiogram, followed by angioplasty and the insertion of two stents for arteries that were 90-95 per cent blocked. After an overnight in the cardiac care unit, I was released to my family at 6 a.m. Total elapsed time from leaving to arriving home ­ 54 hours. While the system may not work efficiently at all times, in case of need these are fantastic results. My treatment was excellent (professional and caring) at all times ­ from the ambulance staff and firefighters, who first attended to me, to the staff in the emergency including nurses, doctors and all in the cardio unit, the preparation, operation and aftercare staff at Trillium. And, finally, to the follow ups with my doctor and his staff. Thanks to all of them for enabling me to write this letter. ED REMPEL This week's poll The Oakville Beaver has added a polling feature on its website oakvillebeaver.com. A new poll will be posted every Wednesday with the results of the poll published in the following Wednesday edition of The Oakville Beaver. This week's question is: How many medals will Canada's athletes win at the 2008 Beijing Olympics? ·0 · 1-5 · 6-10 · 11-15 · More than 15 To vote visit oakvillebeaver.com Last week's poll: Who is your favourite golfer at this week's RBC Canadian Open at the Glen Abbey Golf Club? · Stephen Ames: 17.95% · Freddie Couples: 17.95% · Jim Furyk: 5.13% · Anthony Kim: 7.69% · Mike Weir: 51.28% Total votes: 39 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com