Continued from page 11 Her mission is to promote public awareness about organ transplants and neuroblastoma, such a rare form of cancer that “it doesn’t get as much attention” as more common types of the disease. Mel hopes that people will consider signing up as an organ donor for their 2014 New Year’s Resolution. Scugog Township resi- “ dents may remember Mel- Al | | Wal nted anie Assing as Melanie q Bruce. She grew up south Was to | ive of Greenbank on the fam- ily farm, with her parents lo ng eno ugh John and Margaret Bruce and siblings. Her brother Stewart Bruce is a farrier, to see my son and her sister Colleen Leith is a hairstylist. grad uate from Happily, Mel is recon- . ” necting with old friends, high school: such as Kira Cope and a Angie and Ken DeJong. Mel worked at Hank’s Pastries during her high eae years. She was very involved at Port Perry High School having fun participating in drama, volleyball, aa and student council activities. It was wonderful to run into Shirley Barr, former PPHS secretary, who remembered the bubbly brunette and gave her a big hug. “I’ve had a warm welcome back,” said Melanie, who PSYCHIC READINGS Every Tuesday 3pm-9pm $40 per reading (to be paid before reading) . 279 Queen alee Port Peri 905-985-2775 www.jesterscourt.ca 12 FOCUS - JANUARY 2014 Melanie and her number one supporter, son Jessie, at the start of the 20 km race at Durban, South Africa. lived in Bethany for 20 years. A school teacher for 26 years, she has spent her career teaching elementary stu- dents for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. ‘Mrs. A.’ is busy back at school, designing a math proj- ect for families and working on a program to build girls’ self esteem. She is also training at Goodlife Fitness to get in shape for the upcoming Transplant Games. There’s one in July 2014 in Moncton, where her kidney donor lives, and in two years, there’s an event in Argentina. In 2005, Melanie was diagnosed with kidney disease. In 95 per cent of the cases, PKD is an inherited disease, but no one in Melanie's family has had it. “All I wanted to do at the time was live long enough to see my son Jesse graduate from high school,” she recalls. Now her son works at the University of Toronto training varsity athletes. And although her own educa- tion was interrupted due to health issues, Melanie com- pleted her Masters Degree in 2008. Just before it was necessary to resort to dialysis, Melanie received the offer of a kidney from her cousin Melissa Blake who is a naturopathic doctor in Moncton, New Brunswick. Melissa was studying in Toronto at the time, and she Please turn to page 14