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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday June 8, 2007 - 11 OTMH Classic donation could be a real life saver By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Mercedes-Benz Oakville Autohaus If it wasn't for an echocardiogram and Linda Cook's attentive family doctor Murray Duguid, she is certain she wouldn't be around today. Back in July 2005, the avid golfer had lately felt her heart racing, especially while climbing the hill on the 15th hole at the Mississauga Golf Club, where she played frequently, and walking up flights of stairs. She had difficulty sleeping, unexplainable lost weight and was very pale. "It was a muggy summer, I thought maybe I was reacting to poor air quality, or that I was becoming asthmatic," said Cook. She called her family doctor of 30 years, Dr. Duguid, and told him about her symptoms. "Lord love him, he got me into Oakville-Trafalgar hospital that afternoon for an echocardiogram." An echocardiogram uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart and produces a more detailed image than an x-ray without the radiation exposure. The test revealed that a massive tumor, ironically the size of a golf ball, was sitting inside Cook's heart. The tumor was a myxoma, a non-cancerous growth inside her heart. It's rare for a tumor to take root in the heart. However, myxomas are more common in women and 75 per cent occur in the left atrium, which is where Cook's grew. The tumor became a hindrance in allowing blood to properly pump through her heart, which is why Cook's raced and she felt so winded going up hill. Up until she was given this news about the tumor, Cook can remember vividly the colour of the clothes worn by OTMH cardiologist Dr. Michael Heffernan. "After that it's all a blur," she said. She was immediately ushered to the intensive care unit and her husband Gary, son Christopher and daughter Jennifer were called. Cook was then sent to Trillium Hospital where she within three days had open-heart surgery to remove the tumor. Thankfully, it was benign, which is typical of myxomas. While initially following the surgery Cook said she felt like Starting Today !!!!!!! Think Green!!!!!!! Doing our Part for the Environment Automacs Collision and Mercedes Benz Oakville Autohaus Collision are pleased to announce the introduction of their innovative and new environmentally friendly water borne paint products. Each company is teaming up and switching to these environmentally friendly products and is leading the way in the automotive collision repair industry. We understand the impact the transition into environmentally safe products and practices will have on the world around us for years to come. We have always been on the leading edge of utilizing every method possible to preserve our environment, and this new water borne paint products fit perfectly with our direction. 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Automacs Collision & Sales Inc. 1091 Speers Road, Oakville 905-844-9200 Mon-Thurs: 7:30am to 5:30pm, Fri: 7:30am to 5pm, Sat: 9:00am to Noon PROVIDING EXPERT COLLISION REPAIR IN THE OAKVILLE AREA FOR OVER 30 YEARS · ROHDE · MEPHISTO · DORNDORF · BIRKENSTOCK · RIEKER · FIN COMFORT · SALAMANDER · ROHDE · MEPHISTO BARRIE ERSKINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER GOLDEN SPONSORS: Warming up on the treadmill for the OTMH Classic run on Father's Day are (front row, l-r) Aleta Mayer, special events coordinator, Oakville Hospital Foundation, Karen Chow, vice-president The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation (gold sponsor), (back row, l-r) Mike Bartlett, director, Community Giving Oakville Hospital Foundation, Lorrie Villeneuve, marketing and promotions manager, AM 740 (gold sponsor) and Dan Baird, director of advertising, Oakville Beaver (gold sponsor). "I'm fortunate to be here. I never realized my condition was serious. I could have dropped dead while I was huffing and puffing up that hill on the golf course." · R O H D E · M E P H I S T O · D O R N D O R F · B I R K E N S T O C K · R I E K E R · F I N C O M F O RT · S A L A M A N D E R · R O H D E · M E P H I S T O Spring Savings at Ingeborg Shoes Famous European Brand Names All Under One Roof Made in Germany · Tradition since 1774 · ROHDE · MEPHISTO · DORNDORF · BIRKENSTOCK · RIEKER · FIN COMFORT · SALAMANDER · ROHDE · M E P H I S T O & Linda Cook she'd been run over by a steamroller, but recovery went well and the scars have healed nicely. "I'm fortunate to be here," said Cook. "I never realized my condition was serious. I could have dropped dead while I was huffing and puffing up that hill on the golf course." She returns to the OTMH yearly for follow up echocardiograms, to ensure the tumor doesn't grow back. The past two have revealed good news, with no sign of return. Cook is hoping for similar results over the next three years. Five consecutive negative results bode well for the future. She's thrilled to be back on the links again, no matter what the score is at the end of each game. Cook also wants to shout her story about the speed at which OTMH accommodated her need for an emergency echocardiogram. But she'll settle for the microphone when she tells those runners and walkers participating in the June 17 OTMH Classic about the real way their pledges make a huge difference in the lives of patients. Organizers of this annual fundraising event are hoping to generate $160,000 to buy another echocardiogram for the hospital. For more information about the fundraising event, log on to www.otmhclassic.ca. Birko-flor $ 79.95 Fantastic Warehouse Savings with Many Styles, from INGEBORG'S WAREHOUSE 1681 FINFAR COURT, MISSISSAUGA Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9 to 5 Sun. 11 to 4 (905) 823-7415