Dive For A Cause 2008 - Nominations

As divers we must realize that we are a part of a greater community one which needs our support and attention. Below you may read about some of these "relatively unknown" conditions which affect a felow diver, their family member or friend. I look forward to having you join us in making a difference once again in 2008.

The nominations for 2008 are:

 

Cystic Fibrosis

Our grandson Derrick always had trouble with chest & was diagnosed with asthma for many years. He spent quite a lot of his babyhood in hospital with bouts of pneumonia. When he was about eight years old he was in Peel hospital with pneumonia again when the doctor on duty asked my daughter if Derrick had ever been tested for Cistyc Fibrosis (C.F.) which he had not so far been tested for.

Derrick was tested while the family held their breaths waiting for the results. We had heard of C.F. but did not know too much about the disease. We found out that the life expectancy was about four yers but through the internet found that it was about eighteen years of age, which to us was still a shock. We received the news that Derrick had indeed tested positive with the disease and all the family was now tested for C.F. and thank God everyone tested negative. By then we were expecting another baby in the family to our son & daughter in law. Megan was born in April and was tested soon after and she also tested positive and treatment was started right away. One good thing came out of Derrick illness was the fact that Megan was tested right away and the fact that she started treatment at that time helped her a lot. As an infant she spent a few weeks in hospital and has had a two week stay in sick kids. Because of her medication & therapy she has not spent as much time in sick kids. Derrick on the other hand spends as much as four times a year in the hospital. I hope all families are tested for CF as it would break your heart to have to pound on your child back & chest to bring up the mucus off their lungs and to see them spend quite a bit of time, at least twice a day in a mask which dispenses the much needed medication into their lungs.

Megan is now almost six years old & runs & plays with no problems even though she still needs her medication twice a day & has to visit sick kids four times a year for treatment & shots. Derrick cannot play too many sports but does enjoy fishing & swimming. He cannot do any contact sports like all other boys at his age.

Because of the donations from the community to everyone with C.F and with the help of the wonderful doctors support staff the life expectancy is now up to twenty eight for males & thirty four for females. There are exceptions to the rule as we know of one lady who is fifty nine and is a mother & grandmother which in itself is a miracle as C.F sufferers are not expected to be able to become parents. With the help of community donations we hope someday to find a cure for this awful disease and give all kids a fighting chance for along and happy life which every child is entitled to.

Sincerely yours,
PAT & BILL POLAND & FAMILY

 

EPILEPSY

This is Erin, my niece. She is 28 years old, she has a job and has recently returned to college part time. Erin spent several years in Cadats and was denied an Officer Role. She has had her Driver’s License suspended periodically. Erin wanted to join the Canadian Armed Forces to be a Pilot but has been denied entry to this elite group. From this picture Erin appears perfectly healthy however, this bright young woman with so much ambition has Epilepsy. She was diagnosed when she was 13 years old. Epilepsy affects 1% of our population. Did you know that March was Epilepsy Awareness Month in Canada? Do you know what colour the Epilepsy Fundraising Ribbon is?

The goal for Epilepsy Awareness Month was to bring Epilepsy out of the shadows and remove the stigma that all too often is attached to this neurological disorder that causes seizures. There are 6 types of Epilepsy…Erin has two of them and takes medication twice every day. Medication does have its pitfalls…its hard on your liver, has side effects like fatigue; memory retention (for Erin it causes short term memory loss), word finding (has difficulty finding words to communicate in verbal or written), some experience rage, depression, the feeling of loss of control, live a life of paranoia (ie. when is the next seizure coming?) and after years of use it can cease to hold off the seizures. Last year this happened to Erin and she was having multiple seizures a day while she was trying to live a normal life. One of the
seizures took place while she was standing on the corner of Yonge and Bloor Street waiting for the lights to change…fortunately a few of her friends just happened to pass that same corner to find her lying on the street unconscious and helped her. Another time she ran down the stairs to the Subway platform sat
down on the bench and the next thing she knew she was in an ambulance. A lady sitting on the bench beside her kindly called 911 as soon as Erin’s seizure began. Erin repeatedly dropped to the floor in her bathroom after several seizures causing further head injuries. Erin once fell down the stairs breaking her
jaw; her teeth and needed stitches all over her face.

I would like to propose to you, my friends that we choose Epilepsy as the beneficiary of our “Dive for a Cause” charity efforts to help people like my Erin!

Respectfully Yours,
Lori

 

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

 

Building Homes – Building Hope

Are you aware that 30% of families in the GTA live below the poverty line? Affordable housing has never been more urgent than now; in fact Toronto has been named ‘Canada’s Poverty Capital’ by the Toronto Star.

Simple affordable homes will be built for all people who are welcomed without discrimination. This is done in partnership with low income families, volunteers and donors. With our help, we can permanently break the cycle of poverty.

It’s sad to know that over 1 million Canadians have to choose ‘Rent or Electricity – or ‘Rent or Food’, because they cannot afford both.

Habitat for Humanity is proud to be ‘building green’ and they receive no government assistance. 100% of funds donated go toward building homes with new materials for families:

  • who currently live in substandard housing
  • who will volunteer 500 hours of ‘sweat equity’
  • who will repay a zero down-payment, interest free mortgage over 25 years

Our Dive for a Cause can help!

  • A door $50.00
  • A sink $200.00
  • A porch $500
  • A bedroom $1,000

LET’S BUILD HOPE!

--Elois Davies

The International Vasa Previa Foundation (IVPF) whose efforts are centered around preventing infant deaths has been re-nominated for 2008.

IVPF is an organization started by parents who had experienced Vasa Previa and subsequently found out that a simple scan done during their reqularly scheduled ultrasound could have prevented their loss. The complication affects 1 in 2500 pregnancies and has no genetic links or known causes. Without diagnosis the fetal mortality rate is estimated to be over 95% percent. On the other hand, diagnosis combined with proper management (ie. early hospitalization and a cesarean section before the onset of labor) are showing a survival rate of almost 100%. They say almost as there are 2 known cases where a patient was diagnosed but their doctor dismissed the diagnosis due to a lack of information.

They have shown during the last 6 years of operation that education alone can make a life and death difference throughout the world. IVPF volunteer members attend medical conferences and provide healthcare providers with the research information they need to help raise their own awareness. Canada is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of access to information and the IVPF has efforts under way in Canada to change that. Based on Canadian birth rates it is estimated, and validated by Canadian doctors, that approximately 132 healthy babies are lost each year to this condition.

Canada has recently recieved some media converage on this condition as well: