The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 3, 2002 -C3 A healthy lifestyle begins with ahealthy diet (Jordon M cCutcheon, and the two Cheesman. McCutcheon went into cardiac arrest while driving home on Sept. 28, 2001, and the two nurses stopped CPR saves man's life while driving home By Jodi Gibbs SPECIAL T O T HE BEAVER Sept. 28, 2001. is a day that Gordon McCutcheon w ill never forget. It is also a day that he barely remembers. W'h.ile driving home from a sched uled appointment with a cardiologist in the Village of Rockton, clean bill of health in hand. McCutcheon went into cardiac arrest. The last thing he remembers is swerving off the road. If not for the compassion and quick administration of Cardiopulmonary' Resuscitation (C PR ) from others. McCutcheon would not have survived the accident. " A few minutes either way and you wouldn't be talking to me," said McCutcheon. Two men responded immediately to the accident, pulling McCutcheon from his vehicle that came to a stop when it hit a tree. Shortly thereafter. Patty Stewart, an off-duty nurse noticed the accident. " When 1got there, McCutcheon was blue and the two men were panicked having no idea what to do,*' said Stewart. Without a second thought Stewart told the two men to seek help from the volunteer fire department across the road as she began administer ing CPR. Gwen Cheesman. another off-duty nurse soon arrived to help. "I see [C PR] every day at the hospi tal where 1 work, but to do it on the street is another story all together." said Stewart. " I was scared to death." Stewart and Cheesman continued CPR for about two minutes, before an ambu lance arrived. " I did not think he was going to make it," said Stewart. McCutcheon was rushed to a hospi tal in Guelph where he spent a few days on life support and undergoing tests. Stewart worked at this hospital and attended to McCutcheon throughout his stay. He was then transferred to the hospital in London for emergency sur gery. McCutcheon arrived back in his home 15 days later, and today is very healthy. "I'm living on borrowed time, every day is a blessing," he said. McCutcheon is extremely grateful for the help he received from the two women who saved him. They still keep in touch and spend some time together. Every year approximately 22.000 Canadians die from a heart attack. Many of these attacks occur in the home and in the presence of a spouse or fam ily member. O f these deaths, 50 per cent occur before the victim reaches the hos pital. The chance for survival from a cardiac emergency increases by more than 30 per cent if the victim is respond ed to immediately with CPR. For these, among many other rea sons, more than 1.6-million Canadians each year take this information to heart and enroll in either a C PR or First Aid course. Last year 125 of these individ uals attended the annual Oakville CPR Blitz. The Oakville C PR Blitz is a fourhour course lead by certified C PR instructors. Meeting all Heart and Stroke Foundation guidelines for adult C PR and choking, the Blitz is a fun opportunity for participants to obtain their basic Heart Saver Certificate with other members of the community. With the help of local sponsors, this event is completely organized and run by volun teers and is therefore offered at minimal cost. This year's C PR Blitz is on Saturday, April 13 from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Halton Region Administration Building Auditorium on Bronte Road. The cost is only $15 per person and anyone over the age of 12 may attend. However, space is limited. For more information, or to register, contact the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Halton Region office at 905-634-7732. Jo d i Gibbs is a H u m b er College p u b lic re la tio n s stu d e n t o n co-op p la cem en t with the H eart a n d Stroke F ou n d a tio n 's H alton office. M aking healthy food choices for you and yo ur family can be challenging. That's why the Heart and Stroke Foundation created the Health C heck program. The Health C heck symbol tells you a product m eets nutrition guidelines for healthy eating. F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n , v isit www .healtHcHeck.org o r ca ll th e H e a rt a n d S tro k e F o u n d a tio n at 1-888-HSF-INFO H EART A N D ST R O K E F O U N D A T IO N FO NDATKDN D E S M A L A D IE S DU CO EU R tells you it's a healthy choice Health Check". .. Super Cities Walk seeks volunteers, participants The Halton chapter of the with breakfast, the luncheon bar Multiple Sclerosis Society of becue, form a Finish Line Ontario (Halton M S Society) Cheering Section and distribute w ill hold its third annual Super bags. Cities Walk for M S on April 21, If interested in helping, call starting and finishing at Theresa Toner-Burke at 905Oaklands Regional Centre. 847-7744. This year's goal is $180,000. Each year there arc 1 40 Super Registrations are currently Cities Walks across Canada to being accepted, entertainment help raise money for Multiple has been arranged, logistics are Sclerosis research. being finalized and organizers The M S Society began the are excited, reports Theresa Super Cities Walks fundraising Toner-Burke, volunteer Super event in three cities in 1991. By Cities Walk co-ordinator. 1993 Burlington had an annual This year's Honourary Chairs walk, with Milton being added are Bob Decker, top fundraiser, in 1998 and Oakville two years and Mayor Ann Mulvale. later. Volunteers are required to Last year, participants in the work three to four hours, morn three cities raised $343,000 for ing or afternoon, on April 20 and M S research and support servic 21 to get things organized. es for patients living in Halton. Duties will include helping This year, organizers arc hop ing to top the $350,000 mark in funds raised and are challenging local residents and businesses to sign up to participate. The three walks in Halton get underway at 9:30 a.m. Participants can walk either a five-kilometre or 10-km loop. Interested participants can obtain registration information by contacting 1 -888-822-8467 or www.supercitieswalk.com. Multiple Sclerosis is a dis ease that attacks a person's cen tral nervous system. More than 50,000 Canadians have M S. most of them between the ages of 20-40. The M S society does not have specific numbers of Halton residents diagnosed with M S but says there are more than 600 members of the M S Society of Canada in the Halton area. A Fair and Reasonable Offer The G overnm ent of Ontario has offered O P S E U m em bers a fair and reasonable w age offer over three years. This offer is similar to those already accepted by other Ontario public service unions. O P S E U has rejected this offer and is now on strike. The G overnm ent remains available to return to the table at any time. The Government's offer includes: An up to 10 per cent raise for all staff over a three-year contract made up of: ATHENA celebrates 6 years Celebrating the potential of all w om en as valued m em bers and leaders of the com m unity, and recognizing those w ho support them . A T H E N A Oakville enters it's sixth year. W ith o u t sponsorship, this would not be possible. A T H E N A Oakville recognizes that a huge part o f A T H E N A 'fi success is duo to the generosity o f sponsors. T h is ad is an ongoing series paying tribute to our sponsors and in their own w ords they toll us w h y they feol involvem ent w ith A T H E N A is im portant. · · a 5.96 per cent raise for all staff over a three-year contract; a one per cent raise in the first year in exchange for pro ductivity and efficiency gains; and · an overall raise of three per cent over three years for staff who are at the maximum of their salary ranges, based on performance. Some 70 per cent of O P SEU staff are currently at the maximum of their salary grid and would be eligible for this increase. In addition: · · · · an immediate 10 per cent raise for nurses; an immediate eight per cent raise for ambulance dispatchers: an immediate eight per cent raise for scientists; additional compensation to Waste and Water Treatment Operators and mechanics employed by the Ontario Clean Water Agency to recognize credentials upgrading; an increase in shift premiums for non-correctional employ ees to 78 cents per hour for hours worked between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. to better reflect market rates; and · Cogeco is proud to be a sponsor o f the A T H E N A Awards Program. As a sponsor, we have the pleasure o f being able to meet and introduce the nom inees for the A T H E N A Award to the com m unity through television. It is truly inspiring to be in the com pany o f such caring individuals. Each has a story to tell, often o f courage and dedication. Each in their ow n way, has contributed gready to the com m unity, and each has im pacted the lives o f w om en through their m entoring and support. W e feel honoured to have this o p p o rtu n ity to illustrate "leadership from the heart." Gwynne-Keaney · a one per cent pay-for-performance pool for employees who are at the maximum of their salary ranges. In addition, the Government also offers a competitive benefit and pension package. Our offer puts real money in our employees' pockets. Visit the web calculator to see what it means at www.ontarioservicesupdate.com and follow the links under "Employer's Offer to OPSEU". For information on ATHENA call Diana Soulez 905-844-5290 Ontario