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12 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 6, 2001 NEPA ar Wiebe ord i, Sag wl WE foe op WIT Re EN * - "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Group will help teens cope with family illness 4 By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Imagine the pain and turmoil of coping with a loved one's serious illness. Now imagine combining that pain and turmoil with the inherent trials of adoles- cence, Teens are to be the beneficiaries of a new program that's being introduced at Port Perry High School. The support group, which targets kids whose families are dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses, is to start up March 27. Fran King is a guidance counselor who has been facilitating youth support groups at R.S. McLaughlin high school since the mid-1990's. She said she saw a need for a peer-driven support system for young people who are coping with the tumult of illness in the family, at a time when they're also attempting to cope with the life changes that accompany their age. "It is tough enough being a teenager under normal circumstances, but when ill- ness strikes life is turned upside-down," said Mrs. King. "It affects every part of their lives." The goal of the groups is to have young people come together and talk through the emotions they are feeling, said Mrs. King. She has found that the common experience of the young people assem- bled leads them to open up; and venting those feelings is therapeutic, she said. There are community groups, such as the Hearth Place cancer support centre in Durham Region, which offer quality cop- ing programs for relatives faced with the serious or terminal illness of loved ones. The problem, said Mrs. King, is that teens are disinclined to take advantage of them. So in 1994, she determined that the best way to help such kids would be to bring the program to them. "If a group is in their school, they're a captive audience," she said. "They get into the routine of going to the same place at the same time of day. To have a program in the school provided for them, it works." The young people meet weekly, and are asked to commit to at least two ses- sions. Mrs. King said that she's never seen a student withdraw from the group after attending those first two meetings. What occurs is that the teens, once assembled, create a support system upon which they can draw when they're down, and to which they can contribute when they're feeling strong, she said. And those friendships endure beyond the weekly group sessions. "If they can get a support system going among their peers, that creates amazing things," said Mrs. King. The system of support becomes self- sustaining, as the young people take over, she said. Those who have been involved for longer periods of time are of comfort to young people who are approaching the group for the first time. "The kids who've gone through it, I call them the wounded healers," said Mrs. King. They are there for one another as the illness progresses, and can draw on one another's experience to help.-deal with the inevitable stages of terminal ill- ness. It doesn't take the pain away, but it helps, said Mrs. King. "It doesn't change the intensity of it; it doesn't ease the pain," she said. "But at least they know what to expect." The program is sponsored by a num- ber of community organizations, including Hospice Durham Hearth Place, Whitby Mental Health and the Durham District Board of Education. If you'd like more information, you can contact Fran King at 728-9407, 666-2129, or via e-mail at fran king@sympatico.ca. Port Perry High School guidance coun- selors can be reached at 985-7337. Playhouse raffle will benefit Grandview The Durham Region Home Builders Association (DRHBA\) is raffling four professionally built playhouses to raise money for Grandview Children's Foundation. The four custom built playhouses, created by Midhaven Homes, Rice Developments, Coughlan Homes and Complete Works Design Group with donat- ed supplies and volunteer help from members of the DRHBA, will be displayed at the Oshawa Centre from March 5 until March 18 in the centre court. Tickets cost $2 each or three tickets for $5. The draw The centre's main facility is located in Oshawa, with will take place on March 20, 2001. satellite sites located in Ajax and Port Perry. | | Tickets to win the custom built playhouses can be : | purchased at the Oshawa Centre or online at www.durhamnewhomebuilders.com/PlayhouseDraw, through Durham Region Home Builders Association members, or by calling Pam McColl, Grandview Children's Foundation at (905) 728-1673, ext. 240. Grandview Children's Centre provides a wide range of outpatient health care services for children and youth with physical and communication disabilities living in Durham Region. Sneddon on March 10 wish him a HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY Jason March 7th "Watch out -- he's driving!" Love, - Mom;-Dad, Adam & Ashley ~~ HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY Lisa March 8th Love, Mom, Dad, Carla & Noah N= Patients' Smiles Raye § Welcome * Dr. J. Cottrell ® Dr. J. Hardy ¢ Dr. L. Gideon e Dr. C. Banfield ¢ Dr. L. Poranganel ¢ Dr. H. Dewar * Dr. T. King (Orthodontist) e Dr. T. Mcintyre (Periodontist) -- "loday's Smile... A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer! Christie Cordon Peter King Dental Care For The Entire Family : "y | Evening & Saturday Pari 2 ae Mi = Appointments Available Saturday, June 23, 2001 Please Call 985-8451 at the residence of Visit our website: www.iluvmydentist.com Ron and Roslyn King, Seagrave.