Filed under: Themes, Tumour Humour, Campaign Watch

Quoting Hal Newman, current managing editor at BigMedicine.ca, former firefighter and paramedic with 3+ decades of experience in emergency services who “reinvented” himself after leaving the streets by becoming a Network Accelerant:

If you had to pick someone who would be the least likely to become addicted to road cycling more than 30 km each and every day at speed you need not look any further than me. So, it’s a bit surreal to think that come July 2010, I will be joining thousands of other cyclists riding the 250 km [in two days] from Montreal to Quebec City to raise funds to support the fight against cancer. I’m riding for Abraham, Rose, Mimi, David, Susan, Gil, Mario and many many others who fought cancer right up until their dying breaths. We say the words carefully. Sometimes in a hushed whisper. Sometimes spat out like a foul taste in our mouths. “Cancer” … “The Big CA.” So many family members and friends and colleagues who have waged pitched battles against cancer. Occasionally there are wins—and we celebrate those in grand style although truth be told, once cancer stages a home invasion it never really leaves. Even when it’s gone for good, we all wonder if cancer will find another way to come back into our lives. More often than not there are losses. And we mark those with sorrow and tears and a lasting hatred of a disease that shows no mercy and knows no boundaries. I spent a good chunk of my career as a paramedic/ firefighter. Cancer has become inexorably linked with those who are on the frontlines of emergency services. I’ve gone to the hospital to pick-up a friend/ colleague after his first round of chemo and I’ll always remember his reaction to being able to walk, albeit weakly, out the door under his own power. It was a cold, crisp day and yet he had his window down for the ride home so he could take in the sunshine and the wind. His cancer was beaten back and he’s still a part of our lives. I’m riding for Norm and Don and not enough others who have found a way to beat cancer. Norm Rooker, my brother-of-another-mother, wrote about learning he had bladder cancer . . .

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Continue reading Hal’s stunningly beautiful essay

And…

DONATE, DONATE, DONATE

Then…

Read Irked posts tagged “emergency response”
Read Irked posts tagged “cancer”

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Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Campaign Watch

Quoting The Huffington Post:

On September 28, HuffPost featured the story of Monique Zimmerman-Stein, a mother who shares a rare genetic disorder with her children that causes blindness. Though Zimmerman and her family have health insurance, they are still saddled by astronomical debt from medical bills, which has forced this mother to save her daughters’ sight by sacrificing her own. Many readers, touched by the Stein family’s story, have asked for a way to help them. HuffPost Impact got in touch with Gary Stein, Monique Zimmerman-Stein’s husband, a Hillsborough County health department employee, who reported that the family’s medical bills have continued to amass. A few months ago, Stein had a heart attack scare and his daughter had a playground accident that sent her to the emergency room. After tests and scans came out clear, both hospital visits were deemed medically unnecessary and the family was charged additional co-pays, which have since gone into collection. A few weeks ago, Zimmerman-Stein had a minor stroke, known as a TIA, possibly caused by stress. She suffered no lasting side effects… other than the bill for the three-day hospital stay, which so far is $5,000—after insurance—and mounting. Despite this, Stein says “we find, every day, a reason to be brave because our system is difficult. I have a family to support and we make tough decisions every day on how to move forward and how to be normal.” Stein says they know they aren’t the only ones struggling to remain hopeful in the face of mounting health care debt. ”It just wrenches your gut to think that we live in such a great country but people can’t get the medical care they need and that they have to make decisions on what bills to pay, what things to forgo.” The Steins are acutely aware that their story is just one of hundreds of thousands, and Zimmerman-Stein is adamant in her belief that free clinics need to be supported and that our representatives need to be held accountable. “I don’t care who you are, everyone in this world gets sick,” she said. To help the Stein family, [The Huffington Post has] created a widget (see below) where readers can make a direct impact . . . You can give directly to the Stein family via their PayPal account by clicking on the widget below (the PayPal account should read “Just Dolphins”).

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UPDATE: Due to an “overwhelming response,” The HuffPost is extending the length of this fundraiser and have raised their goal to $30,000 (they were originally hoping to cover the latest round of the Stein’s medical bills—but, thanks to your generosity, they are able to help out with their other outstanding bills). Over 860 contributors have given more than $26,000 since last Tuesday afternoon. Quite an amazing accomplishment for the first day of the Impact section! Gary Stein, Monique’s husband, says the family is absolutely overwhelmed by the response from the online community. “We’ll do whatever we can to pay it forward,” he says. “I hope and pray that this amazing response can be repeated.”

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Filed under: Campaign Watch

Quoting artist Ben Blais, posting to the Planet Cancer message boards on September 20th:

Hey all, I am an art student at Vanderbilt University and I wanted to do an art project about the lack of focus on young adults with cancer in the medical profession, and about the people who have a lot to share about their interests or their stories. I know it sounds broad, but here’s what I am thinking: to talk to some cool people age 18 to 30 about really anything they want to tell me, and I will interpret their ideas into a drawing. The drawings will be auctioned through planet cancer for fund raising, and I can even make copies for those who gave me their stories. Thank you to everyone for your help! If you would like to check out my work you can see it on facebook here (friend me!).

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Read all Irked posts tagged “Planet Cancer”

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Learn more at planetcancer.org

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids

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Quoting trentu.ca:

The Trent University Award for Youth Leadership recognizes individuals under the age of 25 who play a leading role in their community. Lewis Schofield educates youth and adults globally about Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and Myasthenia Gravis, a rare and complex neuromuscular autoimmune disease for which there is no cure. Mr. Schofield raises money for Autism organizations in Canada and the United States while promoting awareness, tolerance and acceptance of difference through his artwork, writings and videos in the classroom, in the community and on the internet. Mr. Schofield is 14 years old and has Asperger Syndrome and Myasthenia Gravis. To accelerate the establishment of the student bursaries in honour of the Community Leaders Award winners, donors can take advantage of the Ontario Trust for Student Support Program (OTSS). Established by the Government of Ontario in 2005, OTSS matches endowed donations on a dollar-for-dollar basis to provide bursaries and awards to Ontario students. On October 26 2009, Trent University will host a gala event to pay tribute to the 2009 winners.

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Quoting a recent article about Lewis, also on trentu.ca:

[Lewis] raises money for autism organizations in Canada and the U.S. by selling his Art Cards online. He is also a junior moderator on FAM Family Autism Forum on Yahoo groups, providing parents with insight and understanding from a kid’s perspective on living with what he calls “an alphabet soup of diagnoses.” Lewis is also a “SouperIntendent” and regular contributor to Irked Magazine, where he has attracted readers globally since 2006 for his writings, interviews, information and currently a series of humourous videos, “Wisecrackin’ with Lewis Schofield.” “I guess I’m just not afraid to say what I’m thinking when it really matters to me,” he explains. In his interview with the International Best-Seller, Donna Williams, Lewis is asked about the “extras” that he has been diagnosed with. “I understand that you’re a kind of burger with the lot, that your AS includes added extras,” Williams asks. To this Lewis replies, “Boy oh boy–do I ever have extras and it’s ketchup for sure. I have Anxiety Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, Severe Allergies and Asthma. That’s a lot of things to have on a burger, don’t you think?” Lewis was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in 2008, a rare autoimmune disorder and neuro-muscular disease usually found in seniors that causes extreme fatigue and muscle weakness, slack jaw, semi-closed eye lids, face droop and trouble breathing. He created a video called, “Tell Me What Time It Is,” on You Tube describing his experience with the diagnosis and explaining the procedure of Intravenous Hemo Globulin (IVIG) treatment. The video includes text with facts about the disease, narrated with original music composed by Lewis. “He exhibits a startling and rare ability to take his pain and play with it, to communicate it to others and have them learn from it,” writes Sacha Vais, Managing Editor of Irked Magazine . . . Lewis describes how being the way he is makes him strive harder to get things right: “It makes me want to change things in the world so kids and babies feel safe almost all the time. It’s not enough to want to make things better for people. You have to really make things better…You don’t have to do something really big to make a difference. You just have to do something. Otherwise, nothing changes or gets better.”

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Learn more >>

Article in The Peterborough Examiner

News segment on CHEX Television

Click here for all Irked posts by Lewis

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids, Campaign Watch

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Market Hall Performing Arts Centre

336 George Street North in Peterborough, Ontario

Doors Open: 6:30 p.m.

Show Starts: 7:00 p.m.

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Filed under: Themes, Bum Deal, Campaign Watch

Quoting the Friday, August 28th edition of The Chronicle-Herald:

The Saint Mary’s Huskies football team is hosting a car wash Saturday in Halifax to raise funds for Hope Cottage. The team, along with the Halifax RCMP, Halifax Regional Police and Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service, will wash cars, with all proceeds going to the non-profit agency, which provides hot meals to the needy. Some other Saint Mary’s athletes will help out, as will players from the Halifax Rainmen basketball team. The car wash will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at O’Regan’s Chevrolet Cadillac on Robie Street.

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Quoting halifaxnewsnet.ca:

Hope Cottage [2435 Brunswick Street; (902) 429-7968] is a charitable organization whose mission is to provide meals to those who cannot afford to obtain these meals themselves. Since its inception Hope Cottage has grown into a Halifax institution feeding more than 200 meals a day, Monday to Friday. Each day a brunch of soup and sandwich is served from 10:00 to 11:00 and a hot prepared meal from 5:00 to 6:00. Hope Cottage was originally financed by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. For the past 15 years or so Hope Cottage has been self sufficient, with all revenues coming from unsolicited donations from individuals and corporations. The annual operating budget for the cottage is approximately $165,000.00. Hope Cottage relies heavily on volunteers. There are three volunteers for each meal, for a total of 30 people working two to three hours a week. Volunteers will work the same meal every week. These people serve meals, serve coffee, wash dishes etc.

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Visit Hope Cottage’s website

Read more about Hope Cottage on Irked

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Filed under: Campaign Watch

Hi Friends,

This July some friends and I will be participating in a two-day cycling event called The Ride to Conquer Cancer Click to continue »

Filed under: Campaign Watch, Irked Videos

“This is my way of doing something for Tema. Although I was unable to help her in any way, this award will ensure her memory lives on.” —Vince Savoia

Excerpted from Tema.ca:

The first people to arrive on the scene, emergency services personnel witness traumatic events with every shift. Yet they continue to perform their essential duty of saving lives—often in the face of unspeakable tragedy. So unspeakable, in fact, that many of these heroic individuals struggle quietly with the physical, psychological and emotional effects of their jobs. The Tema Conter Memorial Trust was established to end the silence and ease the suffering. The charity was founded by Mr. Vince Savoia, an attending paramedic at the murder scene of Ms. Tema Conter in 1988. Upon coping with post-traumatic stress as a result of this horrible episode, Mr. Savoia created the Tema Conter Memorial Trust.

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Filed under: Themes, Tumour Humour

by Rabbi Marc Wilson

AKA “Rabbi Rugless”

Dear Folks:

So sorry for this mass request, but it’s for a good cause.

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Filed under: Themes, Bum Deal, Campaign Watch

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