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

21 |Thursday, March 30, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com 'The sky is the lim it' youths tell students in school presentation continued from p.14 War Amps Child Amputee Program (CHAMP), respectively The initiative provides comprehensive services to Canadian child amputees and their families. The pair spoke to Grade 1-5 students at Emily Carr Public School in early March for a presentation on amputation awareness. They shared their experiences of growing up as amputees, explaining how they overcame challenges, and showed videos highlighting personal stories, various activities for CHAMP participants and the support they receive. "We don't let anything get in our way. If we try hard and we use our limbs and devices.. .the sky is the limit in terms of what we're capable of," McCormick told the Emily Carr students and teachers. "We're different for a reason. Let' s embrace it. W e're very lucky and proud to be part of the CHAMP program." An amputee, as McCormick explained to the children, is someone who is missing an arm, leg, hand or foot. She told them she was born with a partial right hand, with an additional pinky finger, while Karipidis was missing fingers on her left hand. "Because we were both born as amputees, we were enrolled in the CHAMP program right away. We were able to meet all kinds of other boys and girls who are just like us," said McCormick. "Sometimes, growing up as an amputee, we have different challenges than other boys and girls." McCormick' s challenges included trouble tying shoelaces, zipping and unzipping clothes and putting up her hair. As I got older, I started getting pain in my left hand and that' s a big problem for amputees, especially when you don't have all the function with our other hand," said McCormick. "Sometimes amputees can have arms that have different devices. Sometimes our CHAMPs are able to do that." twice a year in school. Dealing with the bullies "We encourage our C H A M P s.it' s OK to tell someone and ask them (bully) if they have a question that might help them," said McCormick. The students asked about Karipidis' and McCormick' s biggest challenge. For the Oakville girl, it' s using scissors. McCormick said it' s when someone stares at her. "When you do see an amputee, boys and girls, please don't just stare at them. We are different, you don't see this every day," McCormick responded. Dealing with the challenges While many of her classmates and teachers believed she wasn't able to do a lot of things they could, she doesn't let anything stop her, she said. "Sometimes people do look at amputees a little bit differently. They think, `Oh, you're missing an arm or leg or hand or a foot.' But we don't let anything stop us," said McCormick. While it was a "little bit difficult" to be the only amputee in school until she was in Grade 12, McCormick said she had great friends and her CHAMP family for support. It allowed her to make presentations to teach others what it' s like to be an amputee. "We have to find creative ways to do things or we have to use our special limbs and devices the prostheticist makes us," said McCormick. The pair displayed and demonstrated different types of prosthetic arms and devices amputees use, which include myo-electric, spatula, passive and water arms, the latter being interchangeable with arms/legs and which can be used for swimming, bathing, etc. "(A spatula) acts as a helper hand for me. Dealing with the questions During a Q-and-A, Karipidis and McCormick were asked if they were bullied. The eight-year-old said she was and said she cried when it happened because she didn't know to how handle it. McCormick said she was picked on once or The O N LY British Shop in Oakville! Oakville's BIG G EST & B EST Selection of Easter Eggs!!!! All your favorite British products and hand made, award winning butchery & bakery items in store! I didn't expect to feel so comfortable here. Feeling a t h o m e m eans en jo y in g th e th in g s yo u like to do. W h ic h is w h y a t A m ic a , you can alw ays e n jo y y o u r d ay th e w a y you like to - read yo u r b o o k in a q u ie t c o rn e r o r e n jo y a snack w h e n yo u w a n t to . Y o u can e x p e c t an a ll-in c lu s iv e c o m m u n ity t h a t is p e rs o n a liz e d to yo u w ith a ra n g e o f first-class a m e n itie s a n d services. Y o u can choose care an d s u p p o rt o p tio n s ta ilo re d to y o u r u n iq u e need s an d p re fe re n c e s . In d e p e n d e n t Living · A ssisted Living E xpect M o re. # HAS ARRIVED! All your favourites now in stock M alteser Easter Eggs Reg $4.99 E A S T E R Buttons Medium Easter Egg $ 0 9 9 NOW $ 3 " M ilkyBar Easter Egg Reg $4.99 Roses & Heroes Cartons $ 1 1 9 9 NOW $ 3 " Huge Range of Thorntons Easter Eggs! M alteser Easter Bunnies $169 ALL CRISPS N O W20% OFF All pricing is w hile supplies last J o in us f o r a Lu n ch & L ea rn a n d fin d o u t a b o u t o u r e n h a n c e d c a r e o p tio n s . Like us on Facebook! Special offers & much more! facebook.com/britishgrocer1 M a rc h 2 0 & 2 4 , 1 1 a m -1 :3 0 p m . RSVP 9 0 5 -8 4 2 -8 1 6 7 . C H EC K OUT OUR NEW W EBSiTE! mybritishgrocer.com F in d a ll y o u r f a v o u r it e s o n lin e ! (Mt. AMI CA a t O a k v i l l e A m ic a a t O a k v ille 160 B ronte Road, O akville 905-842-8167 am ica.ca/oakville Monday to Saturday 10am-5:30pm, Sunday 11am- 5pm · (905) 845 2748 259 Lakeshore Road East (Opposite the Church), Oakville, ON L6J 1H9 mybritishgrocer.com