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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2013-12-04, Page 66 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, December 4, 2013 From Ireland to Bruce County... for a cure Sarah Sloan, Shoreline Beacon As one of the original found- ers of the present-day Bruce County Rugby Club, Steve Bell has never supported a charita- ble cause to gain something in return. But now, it's his family who is in need of support from the community which he has become a major part of since moving to Port Elgin in January 2007. Steve, the vice-president of the Bruce County Barbarians Rugby Football Club (BCRFC), is seeking assistance in paying for cancer treatment for his mother Allyson who is battling three separate forms of the dis- ease. Allyson has travelled to Canada from Larne, Northern Ireland for such treatment, which otherwise would not have been available to her. Steve, along with fellow Irish native, Martin O'Connor and brothers Keith and Stephen Colley, founded the Bruce County Rugby Club after he moved from Larne, Northern Ireland nearly seven years ago. Since the clubs inception, more than $60,000 has been raised for predominantly local chari- ties - from Autism Speaks and the MS Walk to Relay for Life and MO-vember, not to men- tion helping three individual families from Saugeen Shores, Kincardine and Walkerton by anonymously donating to food and gift drives. "We have always been very adamant in how important it is to perform community stew- ardship within the Rugby Club family because it goes far beyond the guys that are on the field," said Steve, who also gave credit to BCRFC executive members Matt and Louise Bab- bitt of Point Clark, for their commitment to local charities like Autism Speaks and the MS Walk. The Club, he said, has to ensure everyone in the com- munity supports it, by giving back as much as it can, when- ever and wherever possible. "Right from the get go, we have said it's a community endeavour where we have said anyone who wishes to use the playing fields in Tiverton is more than welcome," Steve said. Throughout the course of the last sixyears, the vice president of the Club said his team has done as much off the field as they have on. "We actually have a Commu- nity Stewardship/Community Hero Award which was basi- cally created in honour of my grandmother, Eleanor Green - lees," Steve explained. "She passed away last Christmas of ovarian cancer after a three- year battle, but she herself started what's called the Marie Curie Cancer Foundation in our area in Northern Ireland and she won the accolade for highest amount of private char- itable fundraising in the United Kingdom in 2010. "She raised over $500,000 in eight years," he continued. "She had always been an advocate for charity, so (the rugby team) prides ourselves on making sure those less fortunate than ourselves are always looked after." Steve's mother, Allyson, who was in remission from Stage 3 breast cancer this summer, opted for a voluntary hysterec- tomy, due to her mother's case. When Allyson went for her fol- low up appointment with her oncologist, her mammogram came back clear, but she com- plained of abdominal pain. Her doctor associated the G01ER ICH 524-7811 arm Eho RIM n A-drinle tEnt... L3iih cbnlrrtaur. Der 06-12 `Je1P1111aallea AA -1141131g ad dbr ih•Eaure ae 1111 i tI nd The liaise (em(inem da-0Pj Fri 8 Sat 6:4S a. l}:i Sun -Thur 1 ' 8k1&6 oivigiMH y e° alah tel` F!LOZE!' J 1HIr-Lhl tAwrsen•:t: HuTt rleIWJL'N .I411 bWJ. FJnnr . to' . . .w. Fri 5Sat IBM &9:15 Sun • Thur 7:t01 viniimrriovielinks.ca ii57u 113 'L'41i 1' 4rW"moi •i- 438 pain with the hysterectomy Allyson had recently undergone, but sent her for tests just to be sure. "They actually found my mum had six blood clots; she had three pulmonary embolisms, two in her right hip and one below her heart," Steve said. "They did further tests and actually found a tumor between her breast plate and her shoul- der blade." Allyson's tumor was quickly deemed inoperable, due to the proximity of it to her heart and ineligible for radiation treat- ment as a result. "It was actually attached to an arterial cluster;" Steve explained. "It turned out to be Stage 4 breast cancer and was triple X negative, which is the most aggressive kind and the least likely to respond to chemotherapy:' Further tests revealed Allyson had a tumor in her upper spine, as well as Type 2 ovarian cancer. "That was all in a span of a week;' Steve recalled, "where she was essentially given the all clear, to being given the worst prog- nosis possible.' Allyson's doctor told her there was nothing that could be done and that she should go home and start making arrangements for her funeral. "My mum's only 54 -years -old," Steve said. "She didn't take the news well, understandably. She keep apologizing to me as if it was her fault" "They called me at work to let me know, and I was obviously very devastated, but something inside me was more angry than upset," he continued. "It angered me that the health system in Northern Ireland is geared to not giving anybody any hope or at least willing to try a different avenue or offer a second opinion. They sent her an End of Life booklet through the post which I found inexcusable and highly impersonal FAQs on how to plan for the end of your life... how to tell your kids; how to plan your funeral; what hymns to pick and who to talk to for councilling on how to deal with your impending doom:' But as serendipity would have it, Steve said a family friend Ryan Turner, who studied at the University of Aberdeen where he too had received his masters, met his now -wife Kara, who was from Owen Sound. Dr. Kara Ador-Dionisio and y ,• c • ? i� • r • The Lucknow Sentinel Birthday Club Breeanna Sullivan December 6, 2008 - 5 years old Your child can be a member of the Sentinel's birthday club call 519-528-2822 to register mc LuckiL WB M -A 619 Campbell Street 519-528-2822 �.h6bdA84.L.d/�.M11AAda ViAAFA,k,,AMd0 , Submitted Bruce County Rugby Club member Steve Bell is seen with his mother Allyson, who has flown over from Northern Ireland for cancer treatment in Canada. her husband moved back to Owen Sound where she practices at Nature Med Naturopathic Clinic. "Kara has taken my mom on as a client for free, and wants my mum to spend money on the nutritional supplements to give herself the best chance... to naturally fight cancer" Steve explained. "Dr. Krista Ryan at Corner Chiropractic in Port Elgin has also generously donated her services to help my mother due to the high cost of the cancer treatment:' Also of huge help leading up to Allys- on's treatment, was Jo Smyth at Saugeen Memorial Hospital in Southampton. "She was instrumental in setting up hospital tests for my mum that would have otherwise been very difficult to get without OHIP coverage," Steve said. Allyson was referred to Dr. Akbar Khan of Medicor Cancer Centres Inc., in North York, who said he was shocked with the initial prognosis she had been given by doctors in the United Kingdom. "There was more than definitely some- thing they could do, in fact Dr. Khan told my mum to rip up the End of Life Booklet Dr. Khan said they have seen a great deal of success in fighting cancers much like my mums," Steve said, "the only problem being, the treatment is deemed experi- mental and is therefore not covered by OHIP. Besides that, my mother is from the UK and wouldn't be eligible even if it was covered." Allyson underwent her first chemo- therapy treatment on Nov 12, and has five more months of bi-weekly treatments, which will cost approximately $78,000. "That's what spurred me to go on to the Go Fund Me site and help alleviate some of the burden," Steve explained. "My father had to cash in essentially, his life savings and had been retired for five or six years" Steve didn't stop there. He also got in touch with friends who had been involved in much larger fundraising campaigns - endeavours much larger than had been attempted by the Rugby Club in the past. In doing so, Steve has been able to set up a DJ fundraising show featuring a close, personal friend who also hails from Larne and who is the resident DJ of Hakkasan, the world's largest night club based in the Famous MGM in Las Vegas. Fergie DJ said he will waive the cost of his show (a $10,000 value) to allow the Bell's to make 100 per cent of the ticket proceeds. The Fundraising gig, which is going to be a battle of the DJs will also feature the local talent of Sauble Beach DJ Jason Jen- ings and will take place Dec. 7 at Fiction Club in Toronto. In addition, Jenings and his wife Amber of Peak Real Estate in Sauble Beach, have been key players in promoting the Bells' cause, personally donating $1,000, waiv- ing the commission of Steve's house sale and getting in contact with 13 radio sta- tions to promote the upcoming event. Support is also being shown back in the UK, where Steve's younger sisters, Caro- line and Courtney, along with family and friends, have been busy raising money through various fundraising events and efforts. Locally, Jeff Carver, owner of the Wis- mer House, who Steve said has always been instrumental in the Rugby Club's charitable endeavours, will be fundraising for Allyson on Saturday night "Unbeknownst to me, in conjunction with the Movember wrap up party... they are also asking for donations for my mum's treatment which kind of took me aback," Steve said Thursday. "It is amaz- ing, because I would always endeavour to do things for anyone regardless of their background or situation so to see it being paid back is more than I could have ever expected." To date, $20,766 has been raise from 176 donors. "To be frank, I am quite blown away with the generosity of complete stran- gers," added Steve. "Like the ones who are leaving anonymous donations. Steve also wished to mention that something he and his family have talked about in great length and shared with Dr. Khan, is that any additional money raised will be paid forward. 'Anything more than one cent more than what my mum needs for her treat- ment will be going to a foundation to pay it forward to allow someone who may not have the opportunity to pursue this ave- nue due to financial restrictions," Steve said. Tickets for the charity event featuring Fergie DJ and Jason Jenings are $40 and can be acquired by contacting Steve at 1-519-377-0606 or stevenrobertbell@ gmail.com For more information on the event, visit its Facebook page: DJ Fundraising Event for Allyson's Treatment. To donate to the Bell family, visit www. gofundme.com/572zuo or visit Meridian Credit Union in Port Elgin where a special account (# 2833069) has been set up.