Items filtered by date: September 2024

Beneshi BloomAt the Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) Foundation, we heard from Beneshi Bloom, a young lad who intends to cut his long hair, ask for donations to the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign and donate his hair for the purpose of a cancer patient’s wig. We were very impressed with his initiative! We asked Beneshi why he is doing this and what the CT Scanner will mean to the community. This is what he said:

“I am nine years old and I am in grade four at École élémentaire publique Rivière-Rideau.  One day my neighbour Halia asked if I would ever cut my hair. I was really thinking to myself "no"...because I like my long hair and I wanted to keep growing it to make a long braid, which is the traditional Anishnaabe hairstyle for boys.

She told me that some people donate their hair to make wigs for people who lose their hair when they are sick. I had never heard of that before. I learned that people with cancer lose their hair during treatment. I also learned that three of my grandparents died of cancer and I never got to see them because of it. My Dad showed me a picture of his Mom smiling and wearing her wig when she was sick.

It makes me feel happy and excited to think that donating my hair could help someone who is sick look and feel better.

I talked to my Mom and Dad about it and we learned that some people ask for sponsors before they get their hair cut.  I can donate my hair - and also raise money for charity! 

I love playing hockey and this year I am playing for the Kemptville Royals U11 Rep B team. If I ever hurt my head - or anyone on my team ever hurt their head - they would need a CT Scan right away! 

So, I am asking everyone to help me raise $1800 for the Kemptville Hospital CT Scanner by November 23rd, when I will cut my "flow" after my hockey game (that's hockey talk for a player's long hair). The puck drops for the Kemptville Royals vs. North Dundas Demons at noon. Come out for the game and stay to cheer me on during my hair cut at 1:30 pm!

If just 100 people donate $18 (a special number that stands for "life" in Hebrew) I will reach my goal.”

Joanne Mavis, Executive Director, KDH Foundation said, “this is a remarkable initiative from this young man! He understands the community importance of having this diagnostic tool close to home. Thank you – and good luck!”

Beneshi will be accepting donations at the upcoming local Royals hockey games and other locations around the area.

Donations to “Beneshi’s Haircut for KDH CT Scanner” can also be made online. Select the drop-down menu, “Please direct my donation to” and select “Beneshi’s Haircut for KDH CT Scanner”. A tax receipt will be provided by the KDH Foundation.

For more information, stories and photos visit the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign page.

Sitting riverside on a beautiful sunlit September morning, Laura Melnick looked at me and said, “I am a walking miracle. My community needs some help and this is why it is my job to tell my story. We learn by hearing each other’s stories.”

Laura knows that without a CT Scan, she would not have known she had a brain tumor. 

She explained that she had had two accidents in recent years which involved head injuries. Initially, she had fallen and hit her head hard on the ice; this was followed by a vehicle accident which severely shook her head and bruised her body. On both occasions she had declined having the paramedics or others take her to the hospital.  “Knowing there was no CT Scanner at Kemptville District Hospital (KDH), what was the point?” she said.

In 2023, her second brain injury presented like a concussion. She started to feel better but then, in January 2024, began waking up with daily headaches. Concurrently, vision in her right eye was deteriorating. Laura and her doctor agreed that a CT Scan might solve the mystery of her ‘post concussion’ symptoms.

She waited four months for her appointment. On April 24, she went to the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa for the CT Scan.

On May 3 she learned that the CT Scan showed she had a brain tumour. A meningioma had developed in the menges, the soft tissue that protects the brain from the hard surface of the skull.

Four weeks later, on June 3, with evidence that the tumour was aggressively growing, she had neurosurgery. She was in the operating theatre for nearly eight hours.

Laura was told that the path back to feeling like her old self could be up to a year. She has made great progress since the surgery but there is still a long recovery road ahead.

Why did Laura reach out to share her story?

She said with emphasis, “CT Scans save lives! It saved me from further damage to my visual and cognitive capabilities. I might have complained earlier (to the doctor) knowing that a CT Scan was more easily available to me, in Kemptville.”

Laura continued, “I want people to understand the importance of a CT Scanner. What we cannot see with our eyes is informed by the Scanner’s imagery. Rarely is the problem determined without the imagery.” She added this plea, “Please do not dismiss a head injury and let your doctor truthfully know what is going on and how you are feeling.”

Laura said she is grateful to the neurosurgical team at the Civic Hospital who prioritized her problem, but she is “most grateful to her physicians in Kemptville for listening to my concerns and then moving quickly to help me!”

Joanne Mavis, KDH Foundation Executive Director, said, “Thank you, Laura for reaching out to the KDH Foundation and generously sharing your testimonial. Your experience fully supports why we need a CT Scanner here, close to home. It is an urgently needed diagnostic tool at Kemptville District Hospital.”

For more information and stories about the CT Scanner Crossroads Campaign and how you can donate, see our Campaign page.