Huron Expositor, 1999-11-03, Page 1Huron
In brief
Contest
announced
by
restructuring
committee
to name
new local
municipality
Although the proposed
amalgamation of Seaforth,
Brussels and Tuckersmith,
McKillop and Grey
Townships has not yet been
approved by local councils,
the restructuring committee
is holding a contest for a
new name for the
amalgamated municipality.
"Everything's gone very
smoothly so far and we're
hoping none of the councils
hold us up," says Seaforth
Mayor Dave Scott.
He says the restructuring
committee's report, which
will go to each of the five
municipal councils for
approval at the beginning
of November and then to a
public meeting on Nov. 24,
is very generic.
"The recommendation
that will go to county
council will basically be
about the geographical area
to be joined," he says. "The
details about things like
how many, work sheds
there will be in the
municipality will be
worked out later by the
transition committee."
Seaforth, McKillop and
Tuckersmith administrator
Jack McLachlin says the
public meeting, which will,
be held at 8 p.m. at the
Seaforth arena on Nov. 24.
is the last step before the
recommendation goes to
Huron Countycouncil
"It all depends on what
the public says," he says.
Scott says he's hoping
for a large public response
to the name -the -
municipality contest.
"Ultimately, we don't
want politicians to come up
with the name. We want
the public to do it," he
says. "Mitchell had a
contest when they named
.West Perth and they got a
good response."
The contest offers the
winner a $100 prize.
Entries can be dropped off
at any of the three
municipal offices before
Nov. 9.
by Susan Hundertmark
Inside...
Hospital 'gets,
new physio
equipment
Page 2
Egmondville
United Church
dinner
Pagel
Halloween fun
at Seaforth
Public School
Page 10
ERVING THE GREATER SEAFORTH AREA
November 3, 1999
$1
(includes GST1
Local weather
Wednesday --Wet flurries and
northwest wind 40 km/h
Possible snowfall of 5-10 cm
High 4
Thursday --Mainly cloudy with
chance of sho rs. HO 8. law 1.
Friday --Cloudy with sunny
periods. Windy. High 14. low 4.
Saturday --Many cloudy.. High
neer 11.Low 4. .
From Environment Canada
Harpurhey man waits for new heart
Cause of condition
must be found
before transplant
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
John and Kim Chambers of
Harpurhey have a mystery on
their hands.
And the quicker they solve
it, the quicker John can get a.
new heart.
John, 37, has dilated
cardiomyopathy. a condition
that has left two of the four
chambers in his heart
stretched out of. proportion
and his heart pumping only
about 25 per cent of the
blood it should be moving.
The cause is the mystery
but the end result is that his
heart is dying.
"What's delaying a heart
transplant of any kind is they
want to know why it
happened," said John.
Kim and John Chambers
Coats for Kids campaign
collects over 60o coats
By Carl Stavros
Clinton News Record Staff
With the onset of winter looming. the time has come again for the winter clothes to emerge
from their summer hibernation. Unfortunately; for many HuronsOounty families, the closets'
are empty.
But. thanks to the United Way and their "Coats for Kids" campaign, the biting cold of winter
will be held at hay. i
This year's campaign. which wraps up this week, has collected close to 600 coats. 120 of
them from the Seaforth Manor.
- "We have six big racks full of coats and they're still coming in;" said Kim Bilcke. Executive -
Director of Huron County's United Waybranch. "We're getting calls from all over."
• Although Bilcke stated that there is it. definite• need' in. the community for this type of
program. she is uncertain just how far the problem•reaches.
"Last year. we received over 200 coats that went to all parts of the county and it still did not
meet all of the demand that we were faced with." Bilcke explained.,
This year Bilcke is hoping to bring the county together to helpmeet the need•and coat all of
the children in need. In order to achieve this goat, the United. Way is• receiving assistance on
the project from other community members. including the Mason's, the Ontario Provincial
Police, schools and businesses. All are pitching in to help make -the winter bearable for
everyone... • • • .•
The OPP have offered (o deliver coats, to those in need. Schools have been enlisted to help
determine need and notify the United Way.
"It's been really exciting to have new partners involved," said Bilcke.
The Masons, who ran the program for the last few years before. the United Way took over.
have offered to staff the United Way's Hurimview office for two Saturdays. including the Nov.
6 pick up day when families will be able to stop by and outfit the children with winter garb.
But the drive is not just for children and not just for coats."
See CHILDREN'S, Page 2
They are using two/types
of • medication to / help
strengthen his heart and help
increase the volume of blood
flowing through it by dilating'
the blood vessels but this will
only !work for so long.
John said they want to try
to figure out the cause for
fear a new heart would suffer
the same effects.
And they need/ to know
whether or not it's hereditary.
"1 got the scare of my life.
Being told my heart would
fail wasn't scary. They tasked
whether or not I've had any
children because I could pass
it on," he said.
John and Kim have a
daughter, Audrey.
Now, she'll have to be
tested for any signs of the
same conditionas soon ass
Jhe turn 13' and is old
enough to take the tests.
John's known about the
Sondition for about four
years now, first discovering it
with a trip to.the'medical
clinic because of chest pains.
The led to along series oft
tests that determined -the
condition but have failed to
determine the cause.
His blood vesselF are fine.
His heart shows no/signs of
dead spots to suggest there.
had been a heart attack and
there are :no /blockages• in the
arteries.
"They chant figure.out why
it happened." he said.
i But since last October. the
condition has been worsening
at a far quicker pace. `
Because df his condition.
the blood gets hacked up in
the vessels and arteries in his
lungs and while his Lungs still
function well. he said there's
not enough oxygen getting
into the blood.
"It . feels like you're
suffocating when you're
not," he said.
Kim worries alt the time
because John already has a
problem with low blood
pressure and the medication
can lower.it even more.
"He could go to sleep and .
not wake up again." she said.
It leaves•John tired much
of the time and unable to do
the things he loves.
1 He had to leave his job ai
Jamco Trailers this summer
to give his heart a rest. Just
cutting the grass can take
four days.
Getting up the Stairs 'O.
their home, can be difficult
some/ days.: and they are
considering turning the/
'dining room downstairs into
a bedroom.
Other days are better and
John can get out' on the golf
course with his brother or go
for walks with his wife or the
children she looks afte4 in
-daycare
Hewon't sit still if he can
help it. When family came to
help him roof his house, h
couldn't carry shingles u¢ the
ladder but he could take his.
dine to get up there and sit on
the roof nailing- down
shingles.
He's been told to get a
handicap sticker for his car
See FAMILY, Page 2
Susan Hundertmark photo
The big bite
Grade 2 student Katie Ferguson tries to grab a bite of apple
during one of the games at Seaforth Public School's Fun Fair
held last Friday to celebrate Halloween.
Y2K promjaijneparedness for any disaster
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Stitt
Even if the Y2K computer glitch turns out to be•
a non-event. people should be prepared for the real
threats of natural disasier and human error that
.exist in Southwester" Ontario, said a Red Cross
official last week in Seaforth. .
"The Red Cross has been preaching personal
preparedness for many, many years but with Y2K,
people are sitting up and taking'notice," said Kathy
Bjorkquist, Stratford Red Cross branch manager.
"We're really hoping nothing is going to happen
on Jan.'. 2000 and the risks are diminishing but
we'll all do better if we're ready. Maybe we'll
even 'be in a position to help someone else," she
told about 10 people attending a public meeting at
the Seaforth Manor.
The Stratford Red Cross has held about 50
presentations on personal preparedness, mostly in
Perth County so far but adds that each of the
hospitals in Huron County has hosted similar
presentations.
"We haven't done too many for the general
public. People don't want to think about it but as
we get closer to January, more people are starting
to take it seriously," she said.
After recognizing the threats in the area, such as
snow and ice storms, tornadoes and chemical spills
from passing trucks, Bjorkquist said the next step
in preparedness is envisioning possible
consequences of a disaster.
"That's one of the hardest things about Y2K. We
don't know, what the consequences"will be - loss of
communication, transportation, the banking
system, gas. electricity. And, one of the biggest
threats of Y2K is that it's coming in the middle of
winter," she said.
Bjorkquist said that making . a' plan and
communicating it to family members is something
that should be done now, not in the middle of the
crisis.
"You need a plan for you and yourfamily
members and they need a plan if you can't get to
them. They need essentials to be able to get
through the day," she said.
She also recommended neighborhood plans
which would identify vulnerable people who might
not be able to look after themselves and identify
those with woodstoves who would be willing to
See SURVIVAL, Page'
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