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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-05-23, Page 15leisure, features ft inm� by Margaret Arbuckle JANET CLARK of ,Wingham is heavily involved with the Childhood Cancer Research Association and has been ever since her daughter Karen was diagnosed as having leukemia in 1977. Karen Clark died in 19 79, but her mother still works to make life easier for children with cancer and their families. One of her latest pro- jects is assisting in the fund-raising for a new Ronald MacDonald House at London for children undergoing cancer treatments. Karen Clark's legacy of hope lives on in family and friends It has been almost five years since Karen the body rejecting the marrow. Clark died, just three weeks short of her 10th To. ensure there .are no cancer cells birthday. But Karen's legacy of hope that a lingering in the bone marrow, a new cure for cancer will be found lives on in her . technique called "mopping up" puts the parents and friends. marrow through a cell sorter which shines a Today, Janet Clark of Wingham is able to lazer beam onto each'single cell. That way, put her life and her daughter's life into the cancer . cells can be located and perspective. And true to Karen's memory, removed. her mother now the victims of families. June of 1977 was a busy time for the Clark years ago. family. In addition to wrapping up her QUIET COURAGE school year at the Wingham Public School, Throughout her illness Karen Clark was Karen's aunt was being married in London an ideal patient, never complaining and that month. displaying a quiet strength that carried her So the family traveled to London for the and her family through the rough spots. wedding. During the whirlwind of picture Karen became an example of hope and taking, Mrs. Clark said she remembers courage when she was featured in a CBC "Fifth Estate" documentary on children and cancer four years ago. The program was filmed .while Karen was undergoing treatments in London and it featured three other young cancer patients. It is this fortitude that has spurred her parents on to helping others cope with similar situations. The Clarks still are heavily involved in the CCRA. The group's latest project, and a longtime dream of Mrs. Clark's, looks like it will become a reality next year with the fundraising kickoff March 4 for a Ronald McDonald House in London. While Karen was undergoing cancer treatment, the Clarks were fortunate enough to have family in London with whom they could stay. But for others who must travel long distances, the city can be a cold and expensive place. Ronald McDonald Houses are homes away from home for children taking cancer treatments and their families. Over 50 such (homes are located across the United States and Canada. They provide professional care in a home setting, close to the hospital and at a minimal cost. The London Ronald McDonald House will have 11 bedrooms and cost in the neigh- borhood of $900,000. But Mrs. Clark is confident the CCRA can raise the money with the help of its dedicated volunteers and the house should be standing next June at the Westminster campus of Victoria Hospital. Another project Mrs. Clark recently has become involved with is the formation of a palliative care unit at the Goderich hospital and possibly at hospitals throughout the area. Palliative care units use trained volun- teers to offer counselling and,"support to others in the event of the death of a parent, child or spouse. Mrs. Clark has conducted workshops on bereavement counselling, focusing on the death of a child. A survey is underway currently the fight against leukemia since Karen was throughout Huron County to assess the need diagnosed seven years ago. for palliative care units at hospitals in At that time Karen's specialists told the Huron and if that survey indicates the need Clarks it did not matter when the disease exists, Mrs. Clark is likely to be conducting was detected. But today the tide has turned: more workshops in the near future. early detection is the key to fighting any In addition to her involvement with the form of cancer. CCRA, Ronald McDonald House and New diagnostic techniques also help in bereavement counselling, Mrs. Clark also is pinpointing the type of leukemia a person is a parent volunteer at the Wingham Public suffering from more qucikly, thus enabling School and a member of the United Church doctors to begin suitable treatment sooner. Women. Her husband is a representative on Bone marrow transplants from donors the Huron County Board of Education and and from the patients themselves are being runs a Wingham engineering firm. Their son attempted more frequently and with en- Paul is in Grade 7 at the Wingham Public couraging results. The most revolutionary School. development in this field is taking the bone The memory of their daughter still is marrow of a patient in remission and then strong and will be always, In helping others, freezing it for future use if the person has a they are being true to that memory and relapse, thus eliminating the possibility of fulfilling her legacy of hope. hts to make life easier for These new developments open up ildhood cancer and their tremendous possibilities for leukemia sufferers which were unheard of even five., looking at her daughter and saying to herself "My, she needs a blood transfusion," because Karen looked so pale and fatigued. Even after the festivities were over and Karen was back home, she still was pale and listless. One day, her mother said, she took her dolls outside to play and fell asleep on the steps. The Clarks noted the change in Karen's behavior and soon had her scheduled to see a doctor. After seeing the child, the doctor ordered blood tests and a bone marrow count. Within several hours of that. first doctor's visit, he called Mrs. Clark and her husband Art to his office and delivered the crushing news: Karen had leukemia and was scheduled to start treatment in London immediately. . • Mrs. Clark said they were stunned by the news, partly because everything happened so fast (a week and a half) and because people just don't associate children with cancer. But children do get cancer, as they quickly learned at London where they met other parents with children undergoing chemotherapy and cobalt treatments. in fact, the parents of a group of cancer - stricken children had formed the Childhood .Cancer Research Association in 1974 as a moral and personal support system for its members. Soon the Clarks became involved as well. Karen responded well to her initial round of treatments and went into remission from the disease. She returned to school in the fall of 1977 .and led a relatively normal life until December of 1978 when she relapsed. This time Karen was given intensive chemotherapy treatments and went into remission again, but it proved short-lived. In April of 1979, Karen relapsed and she never went into remission again. She died quietly at home in July of that year. MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS Medical science has made great strides in a The August 1, 1983 weekend at the Galbraith Conservation Area started like any other holiday weekend for Ralph and Martha Bean and their family. They spent their time at a trailer at the park. . However, a freak storm that ripped through the trailer park that night turned their lives around, and Martha was left a quadriplegic as a result of a tree falling on their trailer. Now, after months of therapy and a lot of praying, Martha is fighting to lead as normal a life as is possible under the cir- cumstances. "I don't remember very much of the accident," Martha recalled, lying in her bedroom at her Wellesley -area home. "It was very windy. Ralph got up to fasten down the canvas. I was in bed, leaning on my elbow . and that's all I remember. The next thing I remember I "was in the hospital." The tree responsible for the damage had knocked a support bar down in the trailer, and landed on Martha. Now she is paralyzed fron the chest down, although she can feel sensations down her back. Although she is considered a quadriplegic, she can move her arms about. She still does not have full control of her hands and fingers, but hopes that will come with therapy. "I'm not sure if I will ever regain my full motor reflexes," she spoke frankly. "Sometimes if I'm careful I can pull a kleenex out of the box." Martha and her husband operate an in- come tax business — MNR Tax Service — which has specialized in farmnbusinesses for many years. Martha had previously taken on' most of the responsibility for the business, while her husband was busy around the farm. The Beans have four children; Ellan, 16, Janice, 13, Joanne, 11 and Matthew, two. "Matthew has been a bright spot in my life," she smiled at the toddler as he carried a rubber ball into the room, wanting to play. "When we chose his name it meant, God's gracious gift. He certainly has been." After the accident occurred Martha was taken to Listowel Memorial Hospital, but when the extent of her injuries were known she was taken by ambulance to University Hospital in London where a series of operations and long hours of therapy,,yveee undertaken. Although it was first thought her spinal' .cord was severed, the doctors are now not so sure. "They don't really know," Martha said. "The doctors told me not to give up hope." Being paralyzed would be had enough, but Martha underwent a series of set -backs that would depress the greatest optimist. "Two weeks after the accident, I had surgery for a bleeding ulcer," she ex- plained. "I was in intensive care for five weeks, during which time I had pneumonia. I had a lot of trouble with my lungs, since I had contracted asthma a year ago." She has had a series of operations, in- cluding one on her elbow where a pinched nerve was released. "One thing people can't understand is that I never had a lot of pain," she said."The blood specimens hurt methe most, and the intravenous. I've had so many needles, I just shudder." "Now that the feeling has come back in my arms, they're more sensitive. But I think a lot of people can't understand that I've had no pain." While some people would get angry, deny their God, or give up hope if the accident had happened to them, Martha took an op- timistic and grateful approach to her situation. "I am so thankful it wasn't my children who got hurt," she said sincerely, "There were eight of us in that trailer, and I'm glad no one else got hurt." "I don't . feel I've been deserted' or neglected. Everyone has been so kind to me. It's hard, but that's helped me get through my experience." Martha explained that during the time of her accident, her church was involved in a conference in Pennsylvania. "We got word to our minister, and during that week they had a special prayer service for us. There were 5,000 people praying for us. i just had to get better — I couldn't give up." Martha's and Ralph's religion has been a stabilizing force during their trial. "I remember my grandfather saying the Lord doesn't give you something you can't handle," she smiled. Although Martha made several visits home for weekends during her time at the hospital, she came home for a longer period of time to help her husband during the busy period of filing income tax returns. "I have a universal cuff that I can stick a spoon or something into, to help myself," she explained. "And I have a dowling that I can use to hit the keys on the typewriter. computer; or calculator. That allowed me to do some tax returns, but not as many as I would like." Although she is optimistic no*, she admits there was a time in the hospital when she was despondent. "1 remember when all that changed. The nurse took me outside on the patio for fresh air. That was the first time I'd been outside. I felt like I was living again. 1 got outside and I cried. "I told her she'd given me a new lease on e. eefore, I felt I'd never get better again. I' always lived outside, in the garden. I made much better progress after that. My attitude seemed much better." Even to get limited movement back in her by Laura Plumtree • Serving over 24,000 homes in Listowel, Wingham, Mount Forest, Milverton, Ariss, Arthur, Drayton, Harriston, Moorefield., Palmerston, Bloomingdale, Breslau, Conestogo, Elmira, Heidelberg, Linwood, Maryhill, St. Clements, St. Jacobs, Wallenstein, Wellesley and West Montrose. Wednesday, May 23, 1984 Accident victim paralyzed, fights back for normal life MARTHA AND RALPH BEAN have optimistically faced the in- jury that left Martha a• quadriplegic last summer at Galbraith Conservation Area. Martha has returned home several times to arms, Martha has had to undergo intensive physiotherapy. "I had one hour of occupational and one hour""physiotherapy each morning and af- ternoon. 1 never found the time pass slowly. The therapy kept me busy." The occupational therapy, she said, helped her help herself. "I was interested in learning to write, because that's our business," she said. "I was quite busy getting ready for income tax. "I learned how. to wash myself again, how to brush my teeth. I'd start working with something like rug hooking for my fingers, but it was very frustrating. But I was ready to do whatever I could to use my fingers again." Martha admits there were times when she found things very difficult to do. "But if you can't cope with that, you keep trying until you find another way to do it. Nothing's impossible. You have to keep on trying. You just can't say 'I can't do it'. You have to give it a try." Martha said .she does worry about the effect this has on her husband and children. "I an completely dependent on at least two people to get me in and out of bed. That is sometimes a very helpless feeling. But I have never found people treat me with anything but kindness.'° 1 help Ralph with their income tax business, but is currently back in University Hospital in London undergoing more therapy. Martha found out just haw kind her community was when they pitched in on a campaign to raise money, o purchase a van, and to help with expenses and renovations that must be done to her home to ac- commodate a wheelchair. "I don't think I can ever thank everyone for the cards and letters they sent me," she said. "To know you've got the support of everyone, nondenominational, I really appreciated that." "I try not to be too demanding. I ask with a smile in my voice. If you ask the nurses to do something, and you don't ask pleasantly, forget it," she added. "The nurses said I should hold a. seminar on how to be a model patient." With the help of residents, the Beans were able to do some renovations to their home which enables Martha to move about more freely. A drive-in shower has been installed, and the Beans hope to widen the doorways and put in new offices in the basement, complete with an elevator, so Martha will have access to the house. "We want to change the kitchens make it wider, and lower the sink so I can reach it," she said. A van has already been purchased to move Martha about, and she eventually hopes to he able t� drive herself, once hand controls are installed. "The fund is still growing," she said gratefully. "We are very thankful for that because the renovations will cost us $50,000 or more. The elevator will be $6,000 or $7,000, and that's not included in the cost of $50,000. Martha has high hopes for the future. "Once we get the computer, I'll be doing, all right. I want to be sufficient." Currently, Martha is back in University Hospital where she will probably remain for the next two months, undergoing more therapy. She admitted her time spent at home had weakened her more than she planned, noting she had difficulty sitting up for long periods of time. ' • "I've been home all of April, and it did take a lot out of me. I came home in January, but had to go to Kitchener - Waterloo Hospital,for a while, because my left lung collapsed. I was in there for six weeks." • Martha still has a remarkable !outlook on life, considering all she's been. through. "You can't change anything. 'You can't change the fact it happened, so why be miserable about it? "I feel God isn't finished with me yet. I feel I still have things to do. I have four children, and that in itself is reason to live."