HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2003-12-10, Page 3News
Lung Association volunteer honoured
for putting a local face on lung disease
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
Holding her IV pole with
one hand and clutching a $10
bill in the other, Trish
MacGregor Christmas -
shopped for her family in
1989 at a London hospital
gift shop after open lung
surgery. v.... _; .
At 24, the Seaforth woman
had just discovered she was
suffering from sarcoidosis, a
rare auto -immune disease
that created lesions and
tumours in her lungs.
And, while she's gone
through difficult
experimental therapies such
as chemotherapy to treat the
disease and endured a
number of recurrences that
have sent her back to
hospital, MacGregor looks
back at that Christmas as one
where she discovered "the
good stuff" about the season.
"Christmas is not a happy
season for everyone and
Christmas in the hospital
took on a whole new
meaning," she remembers.
"That year the shopping
and the w.rapping and the
parties didn't happen for me
but Christmas still did. Other
people helped Christmas
happen for my family by
sending baking our way.
And, one of my doctors took
me to see the lights at
Victoria Park. He didn't have
to but that's where the good
stuff come from," she says.
Now, as the mother of
three children her specialist
predicted she would never be
well - enough to have,
MacGregor has been
honoured by the Huron -Perth
Lung Association with its
Meritorious Achievement
award for "distinguished and
devoted service to the
organization."
MacGregor, who began
volunteering for the Lung
Association in 1991, has
served as chair of the
ciiinmitfiity adi+isory b'ogt•d
for a couple of years and as a
fundraiser.
• "The Lung Association has
provided me with a huge
support system.When you're
faced with lung disease, you
can feel pretty lonely. It's so
helpful to have someone on
the other end of the phone
advising you when it's the
middle of the night and
you're having trouble
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breathing," she says.
MacGregor went to the
Lung Association for the first
time for help to research her
lung disease.
At 24, she had just finished
college and was living in
Chatham when she noticed a
wheeze while she was at her
aerobics class. The wheeze
worsened until she had
trouble breathing when she
tried to climb stairs or lift
anything.
Eventually, she was so sick
she had to move back to her
parents' home in Seaforth
and went through open lung
surgery before a diagnosis
could be made.
"The unknown is the
scariest thing. It's a lot better
if you can understand your
disease," she says.
While steroids is the usual
treatment for sarcoidosis, in
MacGregor's case they were
not effective and it took two
years of chemotherapy -an
experimental therapy - for
relieffrom the disease, which
still flares up on occasion.
"There have been a few
scary times but I've had four
good years since the last
flare-up," she says.
MacGregor has benefitted
directly from the research the
Lung Association has funded
and has appreciated the
personal support, such as
Trish MacGregor
phone calls, when she's
ended up back in the
hospital.
"It's good for me to be able
to tell people about those
programs. The Lung
Association is very local and
helps people in our
community. I hope that with
my involvement, people have
a face they can put on the
Lung Association," she says.
The Lung Association also
has information on Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD),
emphysema, lung cancer and
asthma, a condition
MacGregor has recently
learned she also suffers from.
As someone with lung
disease, MacGregor is happy
to see local governments
creating smoke-free bylaws
for public places.
"I have sympathy for long-
time smokers who began
smoking before we knew it
was so harmful. But, I have.
no sympathy for teens who
start and I'm very frustrated
by women who smoke when
they have small babies."
"Lung disease can happen
to you through no fault of
your own and that's bad
enough. But, we may see the
teens smoking today in the
COPD program in years to
come," she says.
One of MacGregor's
Busy clinic predicted for Boxing
Day by Canadian Blood Services
From Pogo 1
Barron said she hopes
Seaforth and area residents
will note the change of
location this year, which is at
the public school instead of
the arena and the time
change which starts in the
morning and does not go into
the late evening.
"We slowed down the
clinic for meal breaks before
so this way, we, and our
donors can go home and
spend supper with our
families," she said.
Although walk-ins are
welcome to attend the clinic,
Barron said she advises
donors to make appointments
for the clinic by calling 1-
888-2DONATE (1-888-263-
6283).
"There's no doubt this
clinic is going to be busy. So,
I strongly recommend that •
people should make an
appointment," said Barron.
She added that the large
number of donors in Seaforth
is due to the partnership with
Clinton and Mitchell.
Each town has two clinics
a year and since donors can
make a donation every 56
days, they have been
scheduled to allow for
maximum donations.
"Cities hold clinics every
day, so there is a shortage of
blood when donation days
are lost because of holidays.
But these communities really
ATV stolen from Front Rd.
An all -terrain vehicle and an electric pressure washer,
valued at $16,000, were stolen from a driving shed at a Front
Road residence in Huron East on Dec., 5, reports the Huron
OPP.
Stolen was a red 2000 Honda TE2 four-wheel drive ATV
with Ontario plates 665FS and a Hotsy commercial 5HP
electric pressure washer.
`Anyone with related information is asked to call the Huron
OPP or Crime Stoppers.
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GOLF SHIRTS - HATS
CALL MEL...
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ADVERTISING' LTD.
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show their support and help
to make up for those few
days with a great amount of
contributions," said Barron.
ESTHETICS
BY BONNIE
Bonnie Johnston
• manicure.
• pedicure.
• facials
• waxing
• make-up
527-171
92w Waxa
Seaford+. ON NOK Iwo
.,
favourite projects is the
Home and Garden Style
Night that has been held each
spring in Seaforth for two
years.
"It's an evening out that
seems to appeal to women. It
focuses on gardening,
cooking and homes and
people come from all over
Huron County to it," she
says. "It's very rewarding to
plan the event and the fact
that it helps, others is just
icing on the cake."
In the future, MacGregor
hopes to reach more people
by continuing her fundraising
and telling her personal story
about her battles with lung
disease.
"There is no known reason
why I got sick. But, I can't
say it was a bad thing. I got
to learn something and make
use of it," she says.
3 0::
Save on our entire line of
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2 0 ,FF
See our Radio Shack flyer for Tots of great gift ideas!
NIFTY KORNERS
33 Main St. Seciforth 527-1680
11.
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We'll get you in. out and on
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OIL CHANGE
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i'irromorpit
220 Main Street Se
,\ 1i11 ) ,ltl":tl 111") '_;Il'/ '.'i11 "l i f`) ltl': •.')!111 f,
Dec. 11...%
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MEN'S NIGHT Dec. 18...9-9
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Dec. 20 _94. Dec . 21...14 •
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Christmas Day...Closed
Dec. 26...11-6, Dec. 27...94
Dec. 28...1-6. Dec. 29.30...9-6
Dec. 31...9-4
New Wear's Doy...Cbsed
Jan. 2...114 Jan. 3..9.4 Jon. 4...1-6
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