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B2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday April 18, 2001 ROSEWOOD GALLERIES A great selection o f "accent"furniture in solid Rosewood a t prices you can' t turn away from. click... cfick... click... Uft, up Up u/p 481 North Service Road West, Unit A35 (W est of Dorval) Oakville Store Hours: Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (905) 847-3999 \ / o r * , fe y . M Custom Designs, Custom Finishes, Top Quality Cabinetry, Competitively Priced, Free In-Home Service, Lifetime Warranty 4 1 5 0 South Service Rd. Burlington 632-0029 3 Q EW 4> South Service Rd }=f J ftt oncepts www.haCtensearckcm w w w .Eureka4 you.com /unlquecabinets Areyou getting enough ? Photo by Riziero Vertolli Andrew Cheney, Anne Martin, and Michael Stevens promote the Kids Walk For The Cure, a fundraiser for Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Canada, on April 24 at Chisholm School. atin g fiv e to ten servin gs o f v eg e ta b le s and fru it per day as part o f a h ea lth y d ie t can h elp red u ce you r risk o f can cer, heart d isea se and strok e. For more in form ation, vis it w w w .5tol0aday.com or call the C a n a d i a n C a n c e r S o c i e t y at 1>888'939'3333 >N | SC CANADIAN I S O C If r t CANCER I CANADIENNE I ° SOCIETY I D U CANCER Chisholm School holds walk forjuvenile diabetes By Mary Collett SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER T f p " " ^ or the millions of K m " Canadians living with diabetes, the B dream of finding a cure for this ill ness - one of the leading caus es of death in North America has never been closer. Insulin is an effective treat ment, at present the best avail able, but it is not a cure. And though not everyone diagnosed with the disease depends on regular injections o f insulin, for those living with Type 1 diabetes - which includes all children afflicted with juvenile diabetes - thricedaily needles, and even more frequent finger "pokes" (to check glucose levels in the blood) are sadly an essential part of their daily routine. To help eradicate this dead ly illness, frighteningly becom ing more prevalent with each passing year, students and staff of Chisholm Public School are hosting a fundraising walk. The "Kids Walk For The Cure" event to be held on Tuesday April 24, at 2:00 p.m., will feature an aerobic warm up by special guest, Toronto Argonaut coach, Michael `Pinball' Clemons. Participants will be gathering pledges, with all proceeds going to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Canada (JDFC). Anne Stevens and Lisa Cheney know too well the heartbreak of having a child diagnosed with juvenile dia betes. The two women, both with six-year-old sons with Type 1 diabetes who share the same Grade 1 classroom at Chisholm (as well as the same birthday and distaste for bananas) have been battling with the effects of the disease for the past few years. Michael Stevens was just three years old when he began exhibiting some of the classic symptoms of juvenile diabetes: a seemingly unquenchable thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and inexplicable mood swings. When he was later diagnosed at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, Anne's initial reactions ranged from disbelief to despair. "Those first six months were like a dream," she says today. "You keep hoping that you will have the miracle kid whose disease just goes away, even though you know deep down that's not going to hap pen." Though the Stevens family has settled into a steady pat tern of a carefully balanced diet and finger pokes and insulin injections three times a day for Michael, Anne feels that life is still anything but "normal." Festive occasions such as Halloween and birth day parties - events that are gleefully anticipated by all children - pose a unique set of problems. "Holidays are hard," sighs Anne. "Michael is allowed treats and birthday cake, but everything must be doled out in moderation." A simple evening out for Anne and her husband Bill requires careful planning and timing in order to accommo date Michael's insulin sched ule. "For a long time we didn't go anywhere without constant ly phoning or staying in touch, but now I have a neighbour who's trained in administering the injections and I'm also part of a wonderful support group." Lisa Cheney, a registered nurse and mother of five, agrees that the Oakville sup port group, which meets infor mally about once a month, has been a godsend. "We were living in Halifax when Andrew was diagnosed two years ago," she explains. "One of the main reasons for moving back to Oakville was to be close to a hospital and a caring community." Though Lisa's nursing background had familiarized her with the symptoms of dia betes, it was a profoundly dif ferent experience when it was brought home. She recalls a family outing to a fall fair when she first heard those dreaded words from Andrew: "I'm thirsty." She says now that though she should have recognized the early warning signs, she wrapped herself in a protective cocoon of denial. "It was devastating," admits Lisa. "I put up a brave front for Andrew, but when I was alone, I completely broke down, and it still hurts. I don't know if you ever get over it." A great benefit to both chil dren and parents is the oppor tunity to share the experience. Andrew and Michael were deliberately placed in the same classroom. TTieir teacher, Leigh Mayers, has the added responsibility of ensuring that their dietary requirements and blood sugar levels are moni tored during the school day. She has ably risen to the chal lenge and educated herself on the specifics o f the disease as well. "This teacher and the entire Chisholm School have just been fantastic," Anne enthuses. Though Anne and Lisa are all too aware of the potential complications of diabetes, which include blindness, kid ney failure, nerve damage, amputation, heart disease and stroke, they prefer not to dwell on negative possibilities, main taining high hopes in the promise of present and future research. Anne Martin, an employee of JDFC, whose husband was diagnosed with Type I diabetes 27 years ago, is amazed at the advances being made in find ing a cure for this dreaded dis ease. "We don't know what the future will hold for these kids," she says. "But the good news is, there is some incredi ble research being done, here and right across Canada." Kids Walk For The Cure is an important step towards keeping the dream alive for every insulin-dependent dia betic to one day live life free of the shadow of needles and an uncertain future. Anyone wishing to make pledges or donate to this cause should contact Anne Stevens through Chisholm School at 905-844-2963, or contact JDFC at 905-333-4660. '.iiryo u getting enough? f HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION FONDATION DES MALADIES DUCOEUR SHUTTERS U VIIIM ITiD INC. Clothing for Charity Have you started your spring cleaning? Are your closets filled with clothing you no longer wear because you don't like them or they no longer fit you? Donate them to charity. Clothing for Charity, in partnership with Breast Cancer Support Services, is looking for donations of used clothing. Clothing can be taken to drop boxes at various venues all over Oakville during the month of April. Clothes can be dropped off at: Abbey Plaza, 1500 Third Line; A m ber Door Spa, 1500 H eritage Way; Halton Police Headquarters, 1151 Bronte Rd.; Quality Inn Hotel, 745 Bronte Rd.; Pioneer Gas Bar, 2451 Lakeshore Rd.; Bronte Village Plaza, 2290 Lakeshore Rd.; Hopedale Mall, Rebecca and Third Line; Loblaws, 173 Lakeshore Rd.; Lansing Buildall, 399 Speers Rd.; Alternatives Food Mart, 579 Kerr St.; Maple Grove Village Plaza, 511 Maplegrove Dr.; Cashway Rona Building Centre, 2311 Royal Windsor Dr.; My Bagel, 207 Cross Ave.; Oakville Place, 240 Leighland Ave.; Iroquois Shore Plaza, 386 Iroquois Shore Rd.; Halton Police Station, 1229 White Oaks Blvd.; River Oaks Plaza, 2183 River Oaks Blvd.; and Longos, 3308 Dundas St. E. MANUFACTURING & SALES Serving Southern Ontario Since 1988. H unterD ouglas ^ LEVOLOR' 1254 Plains Road East, Burlington, Ont. L7S 1W6 (Just east o f Maple Ave) Telephone today for a free estimate, Internet: http://www.shutters.on.ca Phone 905-6344869 Fax: 905-634-9659 Out oftowncall i-800-263-963i SHOWROOM HOURS: 10 AM-4 PM M0N.-FRL, 10 AM-3 PM SAT., OTHER TIMES BY APPOINTMENT