Foundation News
Of Brains, Hearts and The Importance of Dreams
Mary Anne Pankhurst
Cornwall Community Hospital�s neurodiagnostic technologist, Marge Bougie, secures 25 electrodes to the scalp of 19-year-old Josh, (who asks that his real name not be used) and prepares to record his brain waves.
�It�s a test I do about five times a day,� Bougie says, adding that some people may, at first, be a little fearful of electroencephalography, or EEG. But once they�re reassured that the procedure is painless and important for diagnosing conditions such as epilepsy, sleep apnea or the presence of brain tumours, people appreciate its value.
Josh�s reaction to EEG is no exception. He describes his roughly 30-minute experience as unusual, yet relaxing.
�I�d come back and do it again,� he says.
But there is one aspect that seems to put a momentary wrinkle in his brow. Upon learning the hospital needs a new EEG � and the $65 thousand purchase relies on community fundraising � Josh blinks in seeming disbelief: �You mean we can�t just ask the government for cash?�
�Great question!� says Connie Vardy some hours later from the Foundation office on McConnell.
Vardy, who heads up the fundraising arm of the hospital, says that mind-boggling as it may seem, the notion that government automatically funds all equipment the hospital needs is a common misconception.
�And it�s not just Cornwall,� Vardy adds, �communities all over Canada are in the same boat, that�s why foundations have been set up from coast to coast, to help raise the funds that make local health care provision better.�
But long before the community had its present fundraisers, the spirit of giving was alive-and-well in Cornwall. This was particularly so among a group of pediatric nurses and friends (affectionately called The Group of Seven) that included the late Sherry Burke, whose unassuming nature, leadership and kindness embodied the very essence of philanthropy.
�In those days our annual wine and cheese was held every Christmas at the hospital,� said Doreen Doth, who was a part of The Group of Seven. �In the weeks leading up to the event, we�d select a piece of equipment needed to enhance pediatric care, then fundraise and purchase it for the hospital. So this became the template for Dreams Do Come True,� she added.
Now in its fourth season, �Dreams� was reportedly the brainwave of Cornwall�s own Cathy Malyon, career woman, mother and longtime volunteer for causes that benefit the hospital.
But Cathy says everyone who was ever a part of the original effort supported the idea of �Dreams,� and most importantly, helped make it happen.
This year, the event is devoted to the purchase of a new EEG, report co-chairs Sharon Miller and Louise MacIntosh, and will be named in honour of Sherry Burke.
Tickets for Dreams do Come True, which will be held at NAV CANADA on Saturday, November 29 are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Foundation office at 613-930-4508.
Alternatively � and particularly for those who may have other engagements on the 29th � the Foundation office will be pleased to accept charitable donations in memory of Sherry Burke. These will go directly toward the purchase of the EEG machine.
�Please help us make the purchase of a new EEG machine a reality,� says Roy Perkins, chair of the Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation. �Think of it as a Christmas gift to the community. And remember, though a well-equipped hospital is essential to our future, honouring Sherry Burke�s life will provide a heartrending link to the past.�
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