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
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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