durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, December 22, 2022 | 12 A Whitby man who raised thousands of dollars for charity and took on the challenge of paddleboarding across the Great Lakes has been recognized with a leadership award from the Mood Disorders Society of Canada. In August, Mike Shoreman became the first person with a disability to cross all five Great Lakes on a paddleboard. A former paddleboard coach, Shoreman has talked about abruptly losing his business, his social life and his independence in 2018 after developing Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The neurological condition resulted in a loss of mobility and speech, and Shoreman was told he would never paddleboard again, which led him to experience a mental health breakdown. Treatment and support from several mental health organizations helped him find his way back to paddleboarding -- he had to relearn how to walk and getting back on his board was a slow process. His quest to paddleboard the Great Lakes also served as a fundraiser with Shoreman raising more than $80,000 for jack.org to provide mental health programs in high schools, colleges and universities. Following his big accomplishment, Shoreman was recently recognized by the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) with the Marg Starzynski Mental Health Leadership Award. "Mike is a leader in the field of mental health promotion and the MDSC board is pleased to recognize him for his outstanding accomplishments with the Marg Starzynski Mental Health Leadership Award," said Cynthia Black, chair of the Board of Mood Disorders Society of Canada. "Congratulations Mike for your dedicated commitment to raising awareness and funds for mental health in Canada." - With files from Jillian Follert Mike Shoreman, once a professional paddleboarder who suddenly lost his mobility to Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, made history as the first athlete with disabilities to cross Lake Ontario and the first person - able-bodied or otherwise - to cross all five Great Lakes in one summer on a paddle board. Paige Taylor White/Toronto Star photo WHITBY MAN RECEIVES LEADERSHIP AWARD AFTER EPIC PADDLE ACROSS GREAT LAKES REKA SZEKELY rszekely@durhamregion.com As the weather outside gets frightful, Durham Region's medical officer of health has some timely advice: if you haven't done so already, get your COVID-19 and flu shots. Dr. Robert Kyle noted in a statement on the Durham Region health department's website Wednesday, "COVID-19 activity has remained steady" in Durham region, "indicating that the virus continues to circulate in the community." He's urging anyone who hasn't received a COVID-19 vaccine or booster in the last six months to get one as soon as possible. You can find up-to-date information on the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker. Also of concern, is high local flu activity with more than 500 lab cases confirmed this season. There were just 84 cases of the flu confirmed during the 2021-22 flu season in Durham region. It won't be a surprise to parents out there, but the youngest children are getting hit the hardest this fall with 187 cases of flu confirmed in very young children four years of age and under out of 594 confirmed cases. Children five to nine years of age make up 97 cases, while those aged 10 to 24 make up 86 cases. You can get more information by following the Durham Region Flu Tracker. Kyle said "as an additional layer of protection, masks are strongly recommended in indoor public settings, including schools and child-care settings. Wearing a mask continues to be an effective public health measure for reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses. Additionally, please continue to practice good hand hygiene. Washing your hands often and properly can remove germs that can make you and others ill." DURHAM RESIDENTS URGED TO GET SHOTS AS FLU ACTIVITY HIGH TIM KELLY tkelly@durhamregion.com Dr. Robert Kyle, Durham Region's Medical Officer of Health, urged residents on Wednesday to get COVID-19 and flu shots and to take measures to protect against the viruses. Metroland file photo NEWS When it comes to vegetarian Indian food, there's a lot of roti and curry to be found in GTA restaurants, which is why the founder of Veggie Planet wanted to go in another direction. "We wanted to go with something different that creates a fusion between Canadian items, or Western items, and Indian items," says Kavita Dobariya, president of Veggie Planet, which recently opened in Ajax at 1801 Harwood Ave. N. "All the items in our menu are our creations, you won't be able to find them anywhere else." She says people come from all over to try the signature "naanza," which is pizza made with naan bread. The Schezwan Naanza is topped with Schezwan sauce, onion, green pepper, red pepper, mushrooms and broccoli and garnished with spring onion and coriander, while the Basil Pesto Naanza has pesto, broccoli, spinach, feta cheese, black olives, red peppers and a vegan mayo drizzle. Poutine and burgers are also popular items on the menu, which is 100 per cent vegetarian and also includes vegan options. While the average menu might have one or two veggie burgers, Veggie Planet has six, including the Samosa Burger and the Kachori Burger, a lentil-and-spice patty topped with chutney. The Indian-style poutine sees masala fries smothered with cheese, tomato, onion, black olives, special sauce, fried onions and cilantro. Dobariya, who has a background as a chartered accountant, has always wanted to open her own restaurant. After immigrating to Canada, she worked in accounting to establish herself and then, with the support of her family, made her restaurant dream a reality with the opening of the first Veggie Planet location in Mississauga in 2017. "I'm here because of my family, they're my backbone," Dobariya says. The Ajax restaurant, owned by Mayur and Sunny Patel, opened this fall and is the third location for Veggie Planet and the first franchise. "Ajax has been on our minds for a long time, there is a big South Asian population that is growing," Dobariya says. Other customer favourites at Veggie Planet include pizzas and Indian street food classics like pav bhaji, vadapav, chana samosa chaat and pani puri. We want to hear about your favourite places to eat in Durham! Old favourites, hidden gems, new restaurants opening, awesome food trucks -- send your ideas to our newsroom at newsroom@durhamregion.com. VEGGIE PLANET SERVING INDIAN-INSPIRED POUTINE, PIZZA, BURGERS JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com Veggie Planet recently opened a new location in Ajax. The restaurant serves Indian fusion dishes that are 100 per cent vegetarian, including pizza, poutine and burgers. Veggie Planet photo FOOD AND DRINK