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Z X 0» Wednesday, March 23,1994 We Asked and You Said 2 Page from the Past 3 Community Correspondence 7 -10 We Asked and You Said 2 Page from the Past 3 Community Correspondence 7 -10 . - - ^ * V' •. *'*<*" V..^ ?{f ï \w 3 .. g Breathing is the most natural thing in the world but Ken Howard, a respiratory therapist at Memorial Hospital, Bowmanville, says many people find it far from easy. "It's not something people think about until things start to go wrong and then they find out there's a lot more to breathing than they thought," he says. And because so many are finding finding that doing what comes naturally is not always good enough, Memo rial Hospital recently started an education education program about breathing disorders, believed to be the first of its kind at a hospital in Canada. Mr. Howard was hired as the hospital's first full-time, permanent respiratory therapist. The program is referred to as an asthma education program but, as Mr. Howard points out, medical science has discovered that asthma has many causes and the term "asthma" now covers many condi- ...TAKE A DEEP BREATH -- Respiratory therapist Ken Howard checks the breathing of physiotherapist Walter Hoy. Memorial Hospital Hospital has a new education program for persons with breathing disorders. disorders. lions. "Breathing difficulties can be caused by an allergic response to pollen, dust or animal dander, it can be a viral infection, a reaction to chemical substances, or shellfish, peanuts - all kinds of things," says Mr. Howard. Animal dander is spread through air-borne saliva that comes from pets cleaning themselves. Asthma is caused by hyperactive cells in the bronchial tubes responding responding to irritants. The airways begin to swell, mucous is produced and muscle constriction sets in. "It's actually a defence mechanism," mechanism," says Mr. Howard. "The respiratory respiratory system is saying it doesn't want to breathe in something, so it restricts the intake of air." Asthma is not just a childhood complaint. Though the symptoms usually improve with age because the bronchial tubes get bigger, it can reappear at any time. It can also appear for the first time at any age. Stroke and heart attack victims often have similar breathing problems, problems, as do smokers and workers exposed to chemicals such as asbestos, asbestos, silicone fibre, sawdust and cotton fibers. "Breathing difficulties aren't only among the young or the elderly," elderly," says Mr. Howard. "They occur at all ages." More than 135,000 people are admitted to hospitals in Ontario every year for respiratory problems. problems. Diseases of the respiratory system, including lung cancer, are the third largest cause of death in Canada. Durham Region has the highest incidence of childhood asthma in the province, according to the Durham Durham Region Lung Association. The reason is not known. Hospital administrators also noted noted another statistic when setting up the education program: About one in seven patients at Memorial Hospital's Hospital's emergency department has breathing problems, some so severe that they are admitted. Some have a history of breathing breathing problems and have received medical advice, but many have no history and little knowledge of what they can do to make their breathing easier. " A lot of people know very little little about how to breathe properly because it's not something we're conscious of doing," says Mr. Howard. Howard. inis program oenents tnose people and those who have seen a doctor but still have a lot of questions. questions. There's a lot to learn and a lot of information to take in." Mr. Howard emphasizes a low- key approach. There are toys and colouring books for children and a video explaining how the respiratory respiratory system works. "We explain what asthma is so Continued on Page 10 by Lorraine Manfredo Hockin's love of music was well established by the time he got into One of the 125 male voices ready high school. As a student at Bow- to ring out at Roy Thomson Hall manville High during the late 1940's, he enjoyed participating in the school theatrical productions, especially especially Gilbert and Sullivan operet- this Saturday night belongs to Bow manville barbershopper Ken Hock in. Ken Hockin is the owner of a lo- tas. The BHS music director at the cal real estate agency who just hap- time encouraged his talented stu- pens to love singing as much as he dents and suggested the young Ken enjoys setting folks up in then 1 Hockin form a quartet with three dream homes. He joined the Dukes school chums, Ted Ott, Ivan Woo- of Harmony Barbershop Chorus just ley and Rowlie Coombcs. over a year ago at the urging of an It seems music has been a huge old friend. He looks forward to per- part of his life ever since, forming as one of the Dukes on Among members of the Bow- March 26th in Toronto, hopefully to manville Rotary Club, few can rival a full house. the 61-year-old singer when it Kcu Hockin is one of the barbershop singers In the Scarborough- based Dukes of Harmony Barbershop Chorus scheduled to appear at Roy Thomson Hall tills Saturday evening. The Bowmanville resident has made music a major part of his life. comes to leading a lively sing-song at the start of the meeting. And after his first quartet disbanded, disbanded, he formed another with three other musically inclined pals: Keith Jackson, Doug Rackham and Dr. Keith Slemon. They were together together for 35 years. It was due to this extensive experience experience as well as his obvious love of music that Hockin, a mainly self- taught musician, easily passed his audition to join the Dukes of Harmony Harmony The Scarborough Dukes of Harmony Harmony have been a force in the world of barbershop singing ever since they received their charter back in 1954 from the Society for the Preservation Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. America. Only four years after becoming established, the Dukes won their Ontario District Championship. They have represented the Ontario District at many international competitions competitions since and in 1977 and in 1980 the Dukes were awarded the Gold Medal as the World Champion Barbershop Chorus. Some of the numbers to be performed performed in the two-hour show this Saturday include Broadway tunes and hits from the 1920's and 1930's. They include: "Memories" from the musical, Cats; New York, New York; Step to the Rear; and Lulu is Back in Town. Although the acappclla barbershop barbershop style of singing is more than a hundred years old, much of the music music for quartets comes from the 1920's. The Dukes' chorus will have a change of costume going into the second act and there will be some fun bits of choreography. There will also be guest appearances by barbershop barbershop quartets from the United States. Barbershop singers arc invariably male, and will either sing lead, tenor baritone or bass, The lead sings the tunc and the others fill in the harmonic harmonic parts. Creating four-part harmony can be a beautiful tiling, the Bowman- ville musician says. But, achieving it is not always as effortless as accomplished accomplished barbershoppers make it seem. He and his group have been attending attending rehearsals twice a week leading up to the big show. To inquire about tickets to the Dukes of Harmony concert, call Ken Hockin at: 623-4115 Sarah McDougall, 11, (background) and Carlÿ Snodden, 6, decorate their paper-maché balloon shapes while at the Bowmanville Recreation Recreation Complex. Upside-down, her balloon would make a nice vase for flowers, suggests Sarah. Kids aged 5-13 participated in activities from crafts to games at the Recreation Complex Complex all week. Sarah Rutherford holds up the colorful finished finished product that resulted from all her efforts in the Tuesday, March 15th, multi-media workshop workshop held at the Visual Arts Centre. Exercises were designed teach the fundamentals of line, shading, and perspective. Sculptor Barbara Kimball shows students gathered at the Visual Arts Centre how to create magical magical critters by shaping clay. Kids out of school for the March Break turned up at the VAC throughout throughout the week for classes in sketching and painting, pottery, theatre and print-making. This March-Breaker, lost In the waves of a giant parachute, was playing a game of "Cat and Mouse" with the group gathered at the Bowmanville Recreation Complex last week. While the kids shook the edges of the 'chute, the "cat" on top tried to catch the "mouse" running around underneath. underneath.