Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1980-01-23, Page 6Ec �them Advance -Tithes, January 23, 1980 by !Avelino Ballagh Reaching her loth birthday was important to Karen. She was looking forward tothe day when she would turn 10. It would be very special. But she would never see that day. The obituary was .concise and to the point : "Passed away at her home, Karen Clark, in her 10th • year". Between the lines were the 25 months of agony and joy, tears and )aughter that had been shared by Karen, her family and friends as they learned to accept and live with the awful truth. Karen was fighting leukemia and though she would be the one to grapple with the physical torture, the emotional and mental tor- ment would touch many people. Karen was an energetic fun - loving seven-year-old when her parents, Art and Janet, sensed something was wrong. She tired easily, looked pale and anemic and seemed lethargic. Janet well remembers\ the dayshe took? Karen to the doctor and he or- dered .blood work and bone marrow tests. Through all the 25 months ,of bad news, setbacks, and painful tests, Janet remembers the original diagnosis as bringing the darkest moment of despair. The mere mention of -the disease sym- bolized fear because to the layman, leukemia is virtually non -curable. Janet is quick to point out that such is not now the he case. There is hope now, though there is still much to be done and the best treatment is still the one WMS meets ,at Youngblut home BELGRAVE — The January meeting of the WMS was held at the home of Mrs. Victor Young- blut last Monday. ' Mrs. Joe Dunbar opened with a call to worship. Mrs. Jack 'me- Burney c=Burney gave the topic on the life of Dorcas, a woman whose life was dedicated to . clothing and helping the poor. She died and the mourners brought Peter ,to her and he restored her to life. Mrs. Youngblut read the story of Dor- cas from Acts 9: 36-43. Meditation on . thoughtfulness was readby Mrs. Mac Scott: Mrs:. Garners . els e , t1 ,tv9 r sl * , �; S �— poem , mus `'71etese' and "Make the New Year a Stepping Stone to Growth". The ° secretary Mrs.McBurney gave her report for 1979 and the treasurer's report was given by Mrs. Victor Youngblut. Mrs. ,McBurney and Mrs. Dun- bar were appointed to make up 1980 programs. An invitation was read from the E. S. Copeland Lodge, Winghann, to have a meeting there.' It was agreed upon, but -no date has been set as yet: The'roll call was answered by a verse from church calendar. Twelve sick and shut-ins visits were recorded. Mrs. Ivy Cloakey closed the meeting ,with prayer and lunch was served by Mrs. :garner Nicholson. discovered and used many years ago. Karen received meet of her treatment at—War .Memorial, Children's Hospital in London where she was a patient of Dr, L. L. De Veber. Here she ade many new friends, young people -with simiier problems and each fighting the diseab in his or her own way. Here he• also be& du:e an inspirat:cn tr many peoF'' with her courage and bravery,. her realistic approach to life and a mature understanding far beyond her years. Her mother watched through numerous painful tests, injections and blood transfusions and from Karen there was never a whimper. There wasa fierce independence that made Kareno'fight and kept her going. When the leukemia cells grew and began crushing her. boZnes she had pain in the joints and found it difficult to walk. But seldom did she ask for help. "She wanted to do it- her- self," says Janet. Leukemia, to Karen, was only a disease. She had not associated it with death until two of her % MRS. LEWts STONEHOUSE e until t friends died the same week in April. "Is, that what's going to happen to me?" she asked her parents. She pictured her friends as healthy and normal, for leukemia patients very often do not appear sickly, and she ac- cused her parents of knowing the seriousness of their illness and 1n,t telling ' 'You would have +.,w er mother explained, "and 'ti t vnouldn't have helped at y , . After some thought, K answered, "No, it woul • ' Art and ' net never tried to deceive Karen. Her questions were ans . red honestly and their mutual grief was shared. Her greatest wish was to spend her last hours at home with her family. When she had to go to the hospital for treatment she feared she would have to stay. Yet at one point in the final month of her illness, it was she who made the decision to go to hospital or "I won't make it through another day". Reassuring her mother, she said, "There's always hope up until the last second and then it doesn't matter anymore." Belgrave'Personal Notes Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gardon and Robertreturned home last Friday from a week's vacation in Miami, Florida. 'Attie Margaret Ann stayed with 'her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. John Thomp- son of RR 2, Lucknow. Mr. and Mrs. Don Rae, Jamie and Ian of Guelph spent Sunday with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James R. Coultes. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grasby and Mrs. Laura Johnston 'visited on Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. George Johnston, Tara and Erin of fderton. Mr. and Mrs. Gary Leitch, Julie and Jeffery of Lon- don also visited at the same home. Friends and former neighbors are sorry to hear of the death of Clayton Logan of No. 903-700 Hamilton Street, New West- minster, B.C. VOM 2M6, He had been in failing health for some : 4i?ponths: rqeelei . Mrs ' Americo Acr uda of To- ronto, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Hutton of Kincardine and Kenneth Leitch of Wingham travelled by plane to attend the funeral on Tuesday January 22. Mr: and Mrs. Lewis Cook, Mr: and Mrs. Wayne Hopper, Carol; Heather and Kendra visited on Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cook and family of Shelburne. Wayne Ladd of British Colum- bia visited one day last week with his grandfather, William Gow. A relative shower was held for Miss Joanne McArter at the home of Mrs. George Cook. on Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Chester Finnigan of Luck - now passed away suddenly at her LAKEWOOD Elk Double Door with blower. and heat exchanger 11 For those who are enemy conscious but appreciate the beauty of a good , wood stove. • An airtight stove with fully gasketted door • Baffled door for preheated combustion air • Heat exchanger and blower are standard equipment --- Enjoy the beauty of this fine wood stove all evening and wake in the morning to a warm house or cottage., Six Models To Choose From Your Local Dealer Os J. D. Durnin Rs Rin 2, Lucknow Pilose 528-6392 a home on Friday, January 18. She was a niece of the late Cecil and Clarence Chamney. Mrs. John McCormack of Orangeville and Mrs. Claire Rainer of Markham '"visited with their mother, Mrs. Clarence Chamney, on Sunday and called at the funeral home in Lucknow to pay their respects, to the Finni- gan family.. At the Community Centre Board meeting on January 17, the Belgrave Hi -C gave a donation of $100 to the community centre, which was presented by Sheila Anderson and Kim McDowell. The board and the community wish to express sincere thanks to the Hi -C. UCW meets at Johnston\ horne BELGRAVE — The Evening Unit of the UCW of Knox United CburcleThelgrave, held its regu- lar meeting at the home of Mrs. Laura Johnston on January 8 with a good attendance. Mrs. George Michie opened the worship service by reading a poem, "In the New Year", by Helen Steiner Rice. Everyone enjoyed singing the hymn ,"For Thy Mercy and Thy Grace". Several members read scrip- ture passages with the theme of "Improving of Lines for the Coming Year". A verse • of the hyinn "Standing at 'they. tal" was sung between each rea.,"g. Mrs. Michie closed the woe: i with prayer. Mrs. Jack Taylor opened th business part of the meeting with a poem. Mrs. Ross Anderson told of different aspects of Japanese life and customs. . The meeting closed with a social half hour and lunch was served by Mrs. John McIntosh and her group. . p Karen went to $ht1li day of the term, thee way to hondon'for treat* white blood count was lti e,PApd her hemoglobin was tette white count is 7,000 and' 9l priplal hemoglobin .is 11 or .t2= Her platelet count, which 8ta till b ye been 100,000 or 150,000.,,.�� !+sr. N(a's only 8,000. One week later, .ate' massive doses of drugs, ttatoite counts were back to niarral, She came home and resumed life with her family; All sand Janet had, for prior Irontbg, planned outings for thet 1000Iy which included Karen's brotlle,r, Paul, two years youn6er+ than she. Paul also knew Karen was soon to die and was a part of the preparation process. The family spent a week at a lakeside cot- tage, enjoying their times of togetherness. On July 5, Karen ,was brought home from the cottage. She was so stiff she had to be carried to the car but she was glad to be going home. She was in pain and her kidneys had ceased, funs= tioning. She was given something for pain and was put to 'bed. Shortly after 11 p.m. she awoke and complained of having dif . ficulty breathing. 'Seconds later, she was dead. She was three weeks away from her l,Oth bir- thday. LIVING WITH THE MEMORIES Looking back, Janet remembers. She sees how everything fell into place to ensure that Karen's wish, that she die at home, was granted. She remembers the courage of this. little girl who never com- plained, who a few hours before her death answered, when asked "How are •you feeling?". She remembers the pretty pink dress she made for Karen. Karen won a prize in a decorated bicycle contest in that dress and she wore it at her •own funeral. And Janet remembers the terribly lonely and sad feeling the first times she was alone after the funeral. She has.many good memories too. She remembers the, fun times, •for. Karen was a `foil' person and 'special', even before, she became ill. "She wags atarays" concerned more, about others • than herself;;' Janet recalls ., They, know everything possi.Vel was done for Karen and neverh.did they think of taking her to Mexico for a miracle cure with Laetrile. Though Janet is quick.to add that March of Dimes . canvass Monday Next Monday, Jan. 28, is the .kick-off date for the 1980 cam- paign of the Ontario March of Dimes ability fund. Campaign chairman for this district is Mrs. Bob Crawford, assisted by Mrs. Don Carter and Mrs. Terry , Eames. All are members of the Wingham Kinette Club. A team of more than 40 volunteers will be calling on homes in this area. Please make them welcome and give as generously as you can. Remember, the Ontario March of Dimes slogan is 'We can't help without your help'. r.� Remember Christ in 1980 UCW members are urged BELGRAVE — Prayer by Mrs, Cecil Coultes and the use of the •hymn, "Unto the Hills Around Do I Lift Up", introduced the Janu- ary meeting of the afternoon unit of UCW when fourteen ladies were gathered in the school room. Mrs. Leslie Bolt led the wor- ship service. She read scripture from Hebrews, then dwelt on the meditation, "A New Year's Re- solution". My advice to you, she said, is the best ever. Instead of resolve, it is to remember. God has given us a New Year in which to prune away the things. that hurt and hinder, then be fruitful, fulfilled and happy. We can only do this as we remember Jesus Christ. He stood in the very centre of the conflict as love and hate struggled against each other and was victorious. God in. Christ has forgiven us all our past and we need to forget those things which are behind. But we must remember all that he did; all that he said and all that he is. He is our saviour every day and only waits for us to invite him to be with us as we journey through 1980. The Lord's Prayer was given in unison. _ The minutes were read and visits to sick and shut-ins re- corded. The offering was re- ceived and dedicated. Mrs. Law- rence Taylor gave the financial report which showed a very successful year. "Thank yous" were acknowledged and it was announced that the new pro- grams would be ready for the February meeting. Mrs. Coultes continued the Bible study, reading from Mark 2: 7-12: In Jesus' life we see clearly displayed the attitude of God to men. It was not an attitude of stern, severe, austere justice. It was an attitude of perfect love and of a heart yearning with love and eager to forgive. Jesus could say, "I forgive," because in him God was saying, "I forgive", A Bible quiz was conducted by Mrs. Coultes. In the study of Japan, Mrs. Walter Scott re- viewed such facts as size, loca- tion, democratic government, third largest manufacturing country and military strength. She emphasized the Christianity there saying only one per cent of the population is Christian, but this one per cent wields a power- ful influence on Japan and the surrounding nations. There are 700,000 Koreans in Japan ; 35,000 of them are Christian but all are despised by the Japanese. allowed to do only mens tasks and discriminated against in such things as housing ; thus Japan falls behind in human rights. The hymn 'Teach Me 0 Lord' and prayer closed the meeting,, KAREN CLARK they can understand people who do make such a choice. Janet also remembers . the warm good feeling • she ex- perienced when She was able to help Karen, whether it was to lessen pain, help her walk or just be there to talk and answer questions. She is grateful to family and friends who helped and supported them. A group of relatives who wish Karen to be remembered by her school friends, hope to donate an annual memorial award, perhaps in creative writing, her favorite ,subject, to a student in Grade 5 where she would have continued her studies had. she' lived, Janet is grateful for the months she had to ' prepare herself and her family for ` Karen's •death Difficult es it rs•to watch someone you love dineolgedtlitditkealfeleels tithe mad d.r easier and lessened the shock that artists if a child dies aicidentally.. "One is never ready," she says, "but we were prepared. We knew' we were going to lose her." This preparation process . has played a vital role in the mour- ning process for Janet. Her grief has been easier to bear because she, being the one closest to Karen in her suffering, had to 'face up to it'. "Other people could forget it," she says, "es they became involved in their own Jives. But we couldn't. We Lived with it 24 hours a day." Janet and Art had to learn to function in spite of the fact that Karen's illness was on. their minds constantly. But it has made „acceptance easier. And it has made it easier to share their story and try to help others in a similar struggle. Giving ... helping ... sharing . . all of these make it more meaningful for Art and Janet who also work tirelessly for the Childhood Cancer Research Association. The CCRA is a Canadian organization that operates separately from the Canadian Cancer Sciciety. It. was organized in 1974 and its chief purpose is to raise funds for research in the field of childhood cancer, of which leukemia suf- fere a make up more than 50 per cent. Members also provide moral and personal support to those families touched by childhood cancer and together -share what they have learned about their children's illnesses;. and are prepared to teW the public about their work as they • present educational information about childhood cancer. • In this area, a craft show is held annually to make money for CCRA. Handwork is displayed epd sold, including large clown dolls which are made by Mrs. Jessie Lapp of.Winghaln. Some of, these dolls are placed in the London hospital where the children .receiving treatment may play with them. All ,the money received by CCRA is used locally (in the London area). It includes research in labs at War Memorial and the University of ,Western Ontario, as well as equipment for research. Medical staff is also sent to various centres in North Arnerica to keep up-to-date in • the newest orocedUres and vpn New things are beingdelearned very day, so much so thateloparentts.s need not fear diagnosis and acnept it as the ertd. There is hope forthe leuketnia patient now and eontinied-research will increase that hope. A portion of Karen's story, and those of her three friends, will be shown next week on CBC's "Fifth Estate" Tuesday at 9:30. In the 90 -minute° documentary, narrated by Adrienne Clarkson, the four young people, ranging in age from 9 tb 16 years, are featured in their own private struggle against leukemia: Michael Cluff, 13, Theresa Pickett, 9, and Karen have all died since the production was filmed. Tony Coutinho, 16 at that time, is still alive. Karen is depicted in one of the'' most moving sequences of the film. Paying tribute to Karen, • producer Jahn Kastnnr says she underwent tests 'with amazing, grace and courage'. She`'pvas a •beautifultovable child. She faced her ordeal with, incredible forti- tudevight-tefthe.eiYd.' Dr. De Veber will be a guest on CFPL-TV's "Morning Break" on Monday morning at 10 and the producer of the documentary, John Kastner, will be a "Take Thirty" guest Monday afternoon at 2:30., • Karen Clark 'did' indeed face her ordeal with fortitude -- up until the last second, Then, for her, it didn't matter anymore. 13ut for those she left to fight life's battles, it did matter. And the legacy of hope and courage that Karen Clark left, will be long remembered by those who knew and loved her. , Aii/t�njjerchwslndiee reduced : including dresses, sportswear, underwear and morel Lady Maitil Old Scone Mill. ole dia/tiim oft asl Open Thurs. Fri, and,3a , et 10 0..n1,' ;` Close S-p.rn. Friday alights till 0 p.m t.Pours Chun (ANGLICAN) WI NGHAIIA John Street at Centre Street The Ratter: The Rev. John T.M. Swan, 1.. Th. THE ANGLICAN PARISH DEWING/WA; AND BELGRAVE ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, WINGHAM SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 *The Sunday after the Feast of the Conversion of Ste Paul* 8:30 a.m.-Holy Eucharist 10:00 a.m.-Sunday School lel :00 a.m.-$ung Eucharist & Sermon, broadcast over CKNX-Radio. The Annual Vestry Meeting will be held after the 11:00 a.m. Service. Lunch will be served. Kleenex 2 roll pkg. Paper Towels Kraft 375 9. jar Peanut Butter hrieiders 2jlb; box Beef Burgers Schneiders Tray English SOusage lb. , .59 Fancy Grade 3 Ib. bag Ida Red Apples; ' .89 WINTER HOURS: Monday to Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.- Fridays 7:30 a.m. to 9:00' p.m. Phone 357.2240 CLOSED SUNDAYS We Deliver i orewide Inventory Sale_ All Vinyl„ Snowboots Buy one pair, then get ,a second pair of equal value NLY 1.00 For example - buy a pair for $24.98, and get a second pair valued at $24.98 or less for $1.00. Ladies' All other Leather B -Jay Snowboots DSnowboofs '/z price 2O5Oc2/� (Limited sizes) All Footwear 1O%off Inventory Sale ends January 3 k,t 1980. Hurry for best selection! These and°f`rnany more bargains at al n Nat sHuES "WHERE FIT COUNTS" WINGHAM, ONT. 3573421