What Sharon Sees: Kudos to the cancer care providers and volunteer d...

What Sharon Sees: Kudos to the cancer care providers and volunteer d...: By Sharon Weatherall   It’s time I acknowledged and said thanks to those services and people who have been helping me for the pas...

Kudos to the cancer care providers and volunteer drivers

By Sharon Weatherall

 

It’s time I acknowledged and said thanks to those services and people who have been helping me for the past couple of years.

  

Since I was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and became very ill in 2012, I have had my eyes opened to a whole new world that includes the work of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and Saint Elizabeth. These are two of several important organizations out there to assist people like me but the two I have come to know first-hand. 

 

The word ‘society’ now has a different meaning to me. It represents help to those who are sick and their families.

When I lay sick and weak in my bed and needed assistance just to walk across the room, Personal Support Workers (PSW’s) and Registered Nurses (RN’s) from Saint Elizabeth visited my house on a regular basis to deliver services that I could not do without. While the nurses cleaned my pick line and administered hydration after chemotherapy, checking my vitals and making sure I was ok, the PSW workers visited on a regular basis to help me shower, tidy my house, make lunches, vacuum and provide watchful company when my husband had to run out to do errands.

These services were much appreciated by both of us and carried on for months while I was sick. Eventually I became stronger and no longer needed them, but was assured further assistance was just a phone call away should I need it again. During my critical illness I was also provided at no cost with cancer care items like a hospital bed, bath aides and at one point oxygen so I could remain at home comfortably.

Since becoming sick I have been on chemotherapy treatments which have helped me gain my strength back and feel more like myself. I am now taking my third series of treatments, which are sustaining me and so far, helping to maintain my unpredictable disease. This recent series is taking place in Toronto and began in June following a two week round of radiation.

Because of the travel I have come to know a generous and compassionate group of people who are crucial to the cancer care system. Volunteer drivers donate their time and energy to get patients back and forth to treatments and appointments whether they are in Toronto at one of several cancer care hospitals or at a local facility like Royal Victoria Hospital’s (RVH) cancer care centre in Barrie.

Volunteer drivers are not paid and reimbursed only for their gas mileage – they are not allowed to take monetary gifts from patients. They provide this service out of the goodness of their hearts. Most drivers say they drive for the CCS Wheels of Hope Transportation Program to “give back” or because in many cases, they have lost a loved one or friend to cancer. They are fearless veterans of the roads often driving through hectic and dangerous traffic conditions to get their patent to an appointment on time.

Volunteer drivers gladly answer calls through the CCS, when people need rides. They will get up at 4:30 in the morning to pick up patients at 6 a.m. who need to be in Toronto for a 9 a.m. appointment. Often times when someone has more than one appointment in a day these patient souls sit and wait for hours until they receive the word their passenger is ready to be picked up. Patients can try to give an estimated time as to when they will be done but at a huge cancer care facility dealing with hundreds of people per day, schedules can often fall by the wayside or complications with a treatment can cause lengthy delays. The people who do the scheduling for CCS transportation are a special breed too, going that 'extra mile' to ensure that cancer patients who call needing a ride get one. Rarely due to circumstances beyond their control a ride may not be arranged, but since I started using the service, I have never been let down.   

Most CCS drivers will go to the Princess Margaret Lodge on Jarvis Street in Toronto to wait for their call that a patient is ready to go home.  There they are provided with an area where they can read, rest, or socialize with other drivers. The CCS will call them when their passenger is ready and the pick-up takes place within 15 minutes of the call. It’s what drivers do – they dedicate the day they drive to the cause and deal with every situation smiling.

The PM Lodge is a wonderful place for cancer patients to stay while they are receiving treatment at one of the cancer treatment centres in Toronto in the United Hospitals Network (UHN) - including Toronto General, Toronto Western, Princess Margaret and Toronto Rehab. Patients can stay at the lodge for just $20 per night which includes three healthy meals a day and hourly shuttle service to the hospital where they are taking treatments.  The lodge is centrally located so people staying there can walk to stores, restaurants and other destinations nearby. It is located about a 25 minute walk from Princess Margaret and Toronto General for those patients who choose not to take the shuttle.  At the lodge there are two patients booked into each room so people fast become friends with their roommates.

  

Since becoming a cancer patient I have learned a lot about the services provided to help you through trying times. I can’t say enough about the staff at cancer centres being professional and compassionate to your needs.  You are always in the best hands possible.  These people are trained in their individual fields to help in whatever you need along the way.

Fighting cancer is an ongoing battle and one that can change at the flip of a switch. It’s a battle for which a person needs endless help and support to survive.  I am so thankful to be living in Ontario, Canada where fighting my battle has been made so much easier thanks to a system set in place for those unfortunate enough to have cancer. Sadly these numbers grow daily as more and more people are diagnosed.

I am sure there are many more services and volunteer organizations out there I have not had access to yet but which also need recognition. Speaking for myself and all others with cancer I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. And special thanks to the millions of people who financially support these crucial services to help make them possible in the first place.

I cannot complete this article without thanking my husband, family and friends for their ongoing help and support during my illness. You are my light at the end of the tunnel and my strength to face each precious new day.  

BFN entrepreneur takes to road with ‘Love Street’

By Sharon Weatherall

Here's a girl after my own heart - love beads, floppy hats, colourful bags and ty-died clothing. She's making a big hit by bringing trendy hippie fashions back into style.

Mary King is taking people back in time with her 60’s and 70’s boutique called ‘Love Street’.

The Beausoleil First Nation woman started a clothing business on Christian Island which she has taken to the road by operating out of her vehicle. This summer Love Street stretches for miles stopping along the First Nation Pow Wow circuit and some music festivals.

A trendy entrepreneur, King features exclusive fashions, textiles and jewellery that people can really get into the groove with.

 “I always had a dream of owning my own clothing boutique and thought where better to set up than on Christian Island and travel around to various festivals and pow wows. It keeps my family together and is something we can do together,” said King.

 “This is my first business and as far as I know, the first of its kind on the island.  Folks in the community have been very receptive and the islanders are my best customers. My target market is great – a bunch of groovy, fun loving people.”

King who loves being outside, traveling and meeting new people, has always had a love affair with fashion - particularly boho/hippie fashion and music of the 60s and 70s. The business is a dream that stems back to her youth. Appropriately, the name comes from The Doors song, called ‘Love Street’, which came out in 1968 on their ‘Waiting for the Sun’ album.

While having fun on the road this summer, King practices her strategy and plans for expansion in the near future.

“My selling strategy is to promote fair trade and eco-friendly fashions and accessories, letting my customers know their purchase helps promote fair trade and anti-child labor practices and environmental sustainability,” said King who will open a permanent boutique in her home on Christian Island, while still traveling to festivals and POW wows on weekends.

 

“We are going to start renovating this fall and I have already purchased various vintage furnishings and decor to decorate it. When they walk into the boutique I want my customers to feel like they are walking straight into the 60s. It’s going to have a really groovy vibe.” 

King’s long term plan is to start designing her own clothing line with inspirations from the 60’s and 70’s, all made fair trade and with eco-friendly fabrics such as hemp, bamboo, recycled plastic etc.

 

“The next step is to set up my website www.lovestreet.ca and sell online,” said King

“I like to plan for the future. I keep a positive mind and attitude that everything will work out the way it’s meant to and it usually does.” 

When the Christian Island boutique opens in the spring of 2015 it will not only cater to women but carry men’s and children's clothing as well as some home decor items.

While the response to Love Street has been great King takes every opportunity to promote her business. Even though the first summer of operations has exceeded expectations, she knows it takes hard work to get your name out there when you first start up a business. 

“Anybody can do this. I think the most important thing to remember, going into business for yourself is it isn't going to make you rich. For me, it was to support fair trade and labor practices and offering eco-friendly fashions and textiles. This is my small part in making the world a better place,” said King.

  

King hopes Love Street is an inspiration for more businesses to start up on Christian Island.

“It is my hope that people would be encouraged to take chances. It really didn't take a lot to start up. I had a small investment that I put into buying inventory, a tent, racks and displays and away we went,” said King.

“I worked as an accountant for eight years, and although I love what I did, it just wasn't me anymore and I felt like I was chained to a desk. I really needed to get out there and do something I've always wanted to do - selling awesome clothes and making people feel sexy, chic and different from the norm.”

For more information email Mary King at lovestreetfashions@gmail.com or visit the web site: www.lovestreet.ca 

Psychic workshop filled up for ‘Spring Tune-up’

By Sharon Weatherall

Despite dreary April showers outside, the Great Hall at Centennial Museum in Penetanguishene recently blossomed with spirituality, creativity and positive energy.

About twenty participants gathered for the 3^rd Annual ‘Two Day Psychic Workshop’ including ‘Paranormal Investigation’. Some people traveled from as far away as Toronto, Parry Sound and Peterborough to take part, some returning from other years and some new attendees looking for an uplifting experience in their lives.

The event featured Jackie Dennison and Steve Furlong - international clairvoyant mediums and teachers at Feathers Academy in Northwich, Cheshire England. The pair work alongside other mediums, and fledgling mediums, offering psychic and healing services including Personal Clairvoyant Readings, Psychic Development Classes, Past life Regression, Spirit Rescue Work, Reiki Healing & Attunements, Crystal Therapy, Aura Imaging Photography and more.

The weekend got underway on Saturday morning April 26^th with participants involved in grounding, protection/opening, cleansing and balancing of Chakras, as well as guided meditation working with spirit guides and angels. Jackie and Steve led guided meditations taking people on calming spiritual walks through an archway and down steps into lush flowering gardens, by waterfalls, and into the woods to be greeted by tiny fairy like beings. Later the two listened to individual meditations of those who wished to share and helped them to decipher what it was they saw and the meaning of their meditative thoughts.

Meditation can be filled with beautiful colours and visions. Different colours seen during meditation represent energies. Some people were greeted by their spirit guides who came in different forms and stayed with them throughout their walks. Several people meditated about flowers – daisies which mean innocence were a popular flower that day– pink daisies mean healing and work with the heart Chakra. The colour purple means clarity – you can see something clearly. The colour green or visions of trees and plants can represent new growth in one’s life.

“When you meditate you open the Chakras to let in and draw from the universal light,” said Steve.

There are seven Chakras within the inner self.

The Base Chakra located around the coccyx and genitals, relates to our connection to the physical plane including our immune system and sexuality.

The Sacral Chakra located approximately where the spine and pelvis meet, is the emotional centre which governs our state of being within relationships.

The Solar Plexus Chakra located on the spine, around the area of the top of the stomach has purpose to accept and infuse higher spiritual knowing into the lower mind - what we may call subconscious mind.

The Heart Chakra located at the level of the heart, is the centre where the unconditional love for all life activates, what some call “The Christ Consciousness”.

The Throat Chakra located at the area of the throat, is the fifth Chakra which connects directly to higher mind - our fifth bodily vehicle of expression. It governs our ability to receive, interpret and articulate the highest truth from the cosmic library of all knowing.

Our Third eye located in the pineal gland roughly in the centre of the head at the level of the eyebrows eye may be regarded as the centre of consciousness for the soul within the body.

The Crown Chakra located just above the fontanel where the three bone plates of the skull meet, activates when we have transmuted much of the density in the lower Chakras and liberated enough Soul Consciousness from bodymind identification.

Some view the Chakras as 'consciousness exchange points' where Unity Consciousness as the soul infuses with Separation Consciousness as the bodymind. Our lives are greatly affected and influenced by our relative level of vibration within these crucial consciousness centres. Understanding and exploring them can have a profoundly beneficial impact.

When the Chakras are open and vibrating as designed, we experience ourselves authentically as the soul expressed through the bodymind. However, when they are closed down for some reason and their energy is convoluted, incongruent and dense, then there is a greater tendency to identify with the bodymind. It is here where we get stuck, because consciousness is not flowing freely through the Chakras as it was designed to.

According to Steve and Jackie discussing meditations can help people learn from each other as all people have a different experience on their meditative walk and each experience has different meaning - as do the animal and spirit guides they meet along the way. Many meditators step back into a time from the past that helps them reveal things about their present day characters, personalities and often times the work they do in life.  

Some people like to create an altar or sacred space in their home - this can be in a corner, on a shelf or on a tray that can be set away and brought back out. On the altar you might set things that are significant to you like a celtic cross, angels, precious stones, a buddha, candles, pictures of loved ones, a cross, a crystal and whatever you feel comfortable with. There are no rules as to what an altar consists of and it not a specific religious place as much as it is a place to focus on. It you want to attract something to your life such as wealth, health, a car , you can put it out to the universe and bring it back to yourself. Having an altar to help you focus can work for you. It's about using your space for what you want to bring into your life or the lives of others. 

Later Saturday afternoon everyone decorated small wooden boxes with only positive colours and things they loved – these were taken home to hold lists of negative things. When done making negative lists, we were instructed to take them out and burn them so they don’t bother us anymore.  

 

From 8 p.m.to midnight on Saturday, workshop participants took part in a ghost hunt and paranormal investigation at the museum. Several friendly spirits were discovered here three years ago by Rescue Mediums Jackie Dennison and Alison Wynne-Ryder during one of the most exciting paranormal investigations in the series to date. One spirit that made himself known was lumber baron Charles Beck, whose general store/ lumber offices were later donated to the town as the museum. Located in The Great Hall of the museum is a portal allowing spirits back and forth into this dimension, which makes the perfect venue for the psychic workshops.

After searching the museum with cameras, video cameras and EMF meters to measure ghostly activity, the groups formed a circle holding hands with Steve and Jackie in the middle. Everyone fed off each others energy and there was a lot of positive energy in the room.

 

“We were in the basement and got a table moving with vibrations,” said Jackie.

Steve said the energies were changing in the room – changes that were felt by people in attendance.

“Some people sensed a small boy who we think may have been the son of lady who was once a Matron at the asylum. It was a happy spirit and the group could feel that he was moving all around. When the boy was gone the meters stopped,” said Steve assuring that there was a lot of ‘nice’ activity in the room.

During the evening Charles Beck who was originally of German descent, made it clear that his real name had been ‘Carl’ Beck before he was called ‘Charles’.

On Sunday April 27^th, participants were busy with more guided meditation and a past, present and future life workshop, as well as a cosmic ordering workshop.

 “This included a Vision Quest Journey to the third eye which was very successful,” said Jackie explaining that once people are set to use this it can make things clearer - a more spiritual look which helps participants see in a different way. 

Following the two day workshop many satisfied participants posted their comments and photos to the Face Book site for the 2014 Psychic workshop at Centennial Museum in Penetanguishene.

Lori Ross wrote: "I want to thank you as well Steve Furlong and Jackie Dennison I had a great time and learned a lot. I still have lots to learn and many questions hopefully by next year I will be able to do some of the amazing things that some of the others can do. Wonderful energy from everyone I hope I can feel it more next year the time went by way to fast."

Josie Kvas wrote: "I must echo all these words of gratitude and joy from the bottom of my heart! T’was such an honour to have "Papa Bear" and "Mama Bear" guide in profound circles of healing, joy and meditations! Thank you to each and every one of you there! The energy was amazing! <3 ))))."

Erin Snider wrote: "I would highly recommend any of Steve and Jackie's workshops. Incredible!"

Judy Hunt wrote: "It was an incredible weekend with so much energy! What a great weekend! My reading on Friday gave me great peace of mind about things I've been so worried about. Friday gave me such great inspiration for the rest of the weekend, I was full of energy, hope, and happiness. Thank you Steve and Jackie for a wonderful experience!"

Watch for details about the 4^th Annual Psychic Workshop next year  - you can find out more about Feathers Academy and it’s work on the web site: www.feathersmediums.co.uk