Peterborough Blogs
GoFundMe Campaign Set Up For 16-Year-Old Peterborough Teen Fighting Brain Tumor In Toronto Hospital
/UPDATE: July 3rd, 2017 -> Melissa's dad Rick tells PTBOCanada the great news that his daughter is cancer-free: "Melissa is overwhelmed with the emotion and the lost time," says Rick. "She just got back from her last round of radiation Friday and has a lot of catching up to do." Indeed, Melissa is planning to get her G2 license, take at least one summer course, and start Grade 12 in September with all her friends. Rick wants to thank the entire Peterborough community for their tremendous support of the family during this trying time.
---------
UPDATE: February 16th -> Sadly, Melissa's status in that the diagnosis was changed to cancer. Her treatment continues. Our prayers to her and her family.
----------
UPDATE: February 1st -> The surgery went over 10 hours and she's recovering now, the family tells PTBOCanada. It's a benign tumor and 90 percent is out—it's very rare for her age and a large size. She will need visual testing for quite some time and hormone therapy. "The Dolishny family is overwhelmed with the support from family and friends, but in particular the Peterborough community," Rick tells us.
---------------------
ORIGINAL POST
After suffering blury vision and nausea, 16-year-old Peterborough teen Melissa Dolishny was recently diagnosed with a tumor in her brain that affects just about every facet of her life—vision, balance, digestion, sleep and more. She’s now blind in one eye with reduced vision in the other.
After being diagnosed recently at Toronto Sick Kids, Melissa has been moved to Toronto Western Hospital where doctors will be removing the tumor. This will be followed by months of therapy and rehabilitation.
Melissa
Melissa's father Rick
Melissa's father, local entrepreneur Rick Dolishny, tells PTBOCanada that "no matter the outcome of the surgery, there will be challenges." He adds that the support from the community has been amazing, "from our friend's offer to initiate a GoFundMe fundraiser, to the nonstop texts and tweets from friends, to the support from our family, to friends from Kenner, to the Peterborough community."
Living an hour and a half away from the hospital, the Dolishny family is in urgent need of assistance as they have transportation costs, parking, food and basic expenses of living away from home, and trying to uphold the expense of their family home in Peterborough. The GoFundMe campaign has just been set up to help the family through this trying time.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Please give what you can and share on your social media pages.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
Two Carpentry Apprentice Students At Fleming College Built Mental Health Awareness Benches
/On Bell Let's Talk Day on Wednesday, Fleming College unveiled Mental Health Awareness Benches on campus—one each for Sutherland and Frost campuses.
Standing (l-r): Kerri Davies of CMHA HKPR, Fleming Carpentry professor Scott Fleming, Carpentry student Mike Payne.
Sitting (l-r): Fleming President Tony Tilly, Carpentry student Brad Morey, Mike Kingdon of Chemong Home Hardware, and Dean of Trades and Technology Maxine Mann.
Two Carpentry Apprentice students, Brad Morey and Mike Payne, designed and built the benches with materials donated by Chemong Home Hardware. They represent a physical space for people to come together and communicate or solely reflect.
The benches are further intended to illustrate Fleming’s commitment to developing, supporting and maintaining an environment for positive mental health.
Here are some tweets that went out about the benches...
New Canadians Centre Presents "One Night In Brazil" Gala March 4th At The Venue
/PTBOCanada.com is delighted to be a media sponsor of New Canadians Centre's "One Night In Brazil" gala taking place March 4th at The Venue.
Dust off your dancing shoes, as you're in for an evening of fantastic music by Samba Toronto! Delicious Brazilian cuisine, vibrant and memorable performances highlight this annual fundraising event which supports the amazing work of the New Canadians Centre.
Since 2015, the New Canadians Centre has welcomed more than 220 newcomers from Syria to the Peterborough community. This has resulted in a 30 percent increase in the clients the Centre serves annually. With support from the community and sponsors, the Centre can help empower immigrants and refugees to become full and equal members of Canadian Society.
To purchase your tickets for "One Night In Brazil", click here. (A tax receipt for a portion of the ticket cost will be emailed to you after the event.)
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
Women’s Business Network Of Peterborough Donates $21,000 To YWCA Crossroads Shelter
/The Women’s Business Network of Peterborough (WBN) has announced a $21,019.75 donation to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, thanks to the outstanding success of the 2016 WBN Holiday Gala held in December.
Each year, the Gala raises funds in support of the YWCA Crossroads Shelter, an essential community resource for women and children fleeing violence. The WBN raised its fundraising goal to $20,000 in 2016 in response to the urgent need for support during the busiest on record for the YWCA.
Left to right: Lynn Zimmer, Executive Director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton; WBN Program Directors, Sana Virji and Louise Racine; and Nicole Pare, YWCA Special Events Coordinator.
The WBN revealed the final donation amount on Wednesday night (January 11th) at its January member’s meeting at the Peterborough Holiday Inn, where WBN Program Directors, Louise Racine and Sana Virji, presented the cheque to Lynn Zimmer, Executive Director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, and Nicole Pare, YWCA Special Events Coordinator.
YWCA's NUTRITIONAL WELL-BEING PROGRAM IS VITAL
The funds raised at the Gala will support the YWCA’s Nutritional Well-Being program at Crossroads Shelter, which provides healthy food, supplements and vitamins to women and their children 365 days a year, at a cost of $10.88 per person, per day. The program also helps families learn about meal planning, food preparation and principles of nutrition.
“The kitchen is the heart of the Crossroads Shelter,” says YWCA's Lynn Zimmer. “It’s where women prepare breakfast and lunches for themselves and their children, where informal cooking lessons can happen any day, where kids can learn to cook and women can share stories and conversation over a snack or a cup of coffee or tea. And our Nutritional Well-Being staff weave counselling into the mix along with the recipe ingredients.”
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
Millbrook Man Facing Impaired Driving Charges After Crashing Vehicle & Killing His Dog
/Another tragedy from drinking and driving, an animal's life lost. See below from Peterborough Police release on Thursday (December 29th)...
On December 27, 2016 in the early afternoon a Millbrook man was driving his vehicle on Zion Line in Cavan Monaghan Township when he lost control and left the roadway. The vehicle entered the ditch, struck a tree and culvert. The driver was injured in the crash but managed to flag a passerby down for help. The man’s dog was in the vehicle at the time of the crash and was unfortunately killed as a result.
Emergency crews responded to assist the man who had been taken to another location for treatment. The subsequent investigation determined that at the time of the crash the man was impaired by alcohol.
Kyle Reininger 24, of Main Street, Millbrook is charged with Drive while Ability Impaired and Drive with more than 80 mgs.
The accused is to appear in court on January 19, 2016.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
This Video Of A Syrian Family From War Torn Aleppo Arriving In Peterborough Is Awesome
/The PVNC posted an emotional video on its Facebook page of a Syrian family arriving in Peterborough Thursday (October 6th).
Tears & hugs of joy: Syrian family arrives at Pearson Airport
The family was welcomed by family and PVNC staff at Pearson International Airport and taken to Casa Maria Refugee Homes housing in Peterborough.
“It’s like this was all a bad dream and we’re just waking up now," says Syrian father Ammar Aidak as he walked through his new home in Peterborough's East City with his family.
Being welcomed at Casa Maria Refugee Homes in Peterborough
PVNC students and staff have privately sponsored a family of nine in partnership with Casa Maria. Ammar and his children are the first members of the family to arrive.
Cake made to welcome the family
Watch the powerful video below...
Awesome Act Of Kindness For City Of Peterborough Garbage & Recycling Collectors
/Jessica Fleury was walking her dog Tuesday morning when she spotted a water stand on Chamberlain Street set up for Peterborough garbage and recycling collectors.
Photo by Jessica Fleury
It's sweltering hot out today, and Fleury was touched by this act of kindness. "I thought it was extremely thoughtful and considerate, especially in this very hot weather," she tells PTBOCanada. "I also thought it was very sweet how they set the water out on a nice table, with nice glasses and a sign :)"
Fleury also tweeted out about the gesture...
[UPDATE: This is an initiative of Random Acts of Green in Peterborough, where Random Acts of Green meet Random Acts of Kindness.]
Every act of kindness counts in large amounts. Tell us when you spot them. Email us.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
Ann Douglas Witnesses Man Approach Woman In Threatening Manner, Calls Police
/Peterborough-based author/parenting columnist Ann Douglas is angry, shaken and worried about something she witnessed Tuesday morning (June 14th) involving a man intimidating a woman.
She posted about it to her Facebook account...
Her Facebook post, which is generating a lot of reaction in support of her stepping up—"We all have to stand up for one another," "Oh My God. Thank you", "We can't NOT take action in such a situation" and "Wow. The world is a scary place. We have to help each other, not turn the other way" are just some of the reactions coming in—said this:
"If you approach a woman in a threatening manner, ignoring her demands that you stay away from her -- and then somehow coerce her to get in your car -- yes, I will take a photo of your license plate before you drive away. And then I will report you to the police. Because I just did."
Ann Douglas
We reached out to Ann about the incident and she told PTBOCanada this:
"I didn't have a lot of time to think, so I just acted instinctively," Douglas tells PTBOCanada. "My gut instincts told me I had to do something—that there was something really wrong about this situation. He seemed really threatening. I picked up that vibe as he stormed past me on the sidewalk and marched across the lawn toward the woman, ignoring her demands that she leave him alone. I didn't feel safe enough to confront him directly, so I pulled out my phone, snapped a photo of the car and the license plate, and called the police. It wouldn't have felt right to look the other way and simply go on with my day. Everyone has the right to go about their day safely, without the threat of intimidation. I don't know the backstory here—what was going on with these two people—but I know what I saw. And what I saw was really threatening and disturbing. And that's why I felt the need to get involved."
We commend Ann and others like her for being pro-active and not turning the other way.
--------------
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau Is Excited About Peterborough Yoga Festival
/Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is a passionate yoga instructor among many other interests.
Photo via liberal.ca website
