The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday November 12, 2008 - 3 Info exchange on future for seniors An information exchange about seniors and the issues that concern them will take place Tuesday, Nov. 18. The event, being held by the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), will be at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., from 8 a.m. to noon. The findings of recent community engagement activities associated with the LHIN-wide Aging at Home initiative will be highlighted, as well as population reviews and leading-edge studies. Attendees will find out what seniors and their families said about how to enhance seniors' health, wellness and quality of life, and what the leading authorities are finding through research and studies. Participants will also have a chance to hear findings from recent public forums, focus groups and surveys. Key speakers will include Dr. John Hirdes, professor of health studies and gerontology at the University of Waterloo and chair of the Ontario Home Care Research and Knowledge Exchange. Registration and breakfast will start at 8 a.m., with the presentations at 8:30 a.m. To register, call 905-337-7131, ext. 219 or visit www.mississaugahaltonlhin.on.ca. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER ONE FAMILY'S STORY: Amy Tiberia helped launch this year's MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) Red Ribbon Campaign last week by describing the ordeal her family has lived through ever since a drunk driver nearly killed her three-year-old son in a collision 14 years ago. Drunk driver changed family's life By Dennis Smith METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Amy Tiberia calls her accident survivor son Raymond 'a little miracle'. The Oakville teenager, who recovered from a severe brain injury, helped launch MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Halton's Red Ribbon campaign last Friday (Nov. 7). The campaign, kicked off at the Halton police station in Burlington, is aiming for a holiday season with no deaths or injuries caused by impaired driving. "By displaying a MADD Canada red ribbon, you'll be making a personal commitment to drive sober," said Chris Borak, president of Halton's MADD branch. "We urge Canadians to call 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver. By removing a drunk driver from the road, you may be saving a life." Before cutting the kickoff ribbon with her son on Friday, Tiberia recalled the trauma an accident on Dec. 30, 1994 caused her family. "From the second it happened almost 14 years ago, the choice one person made to drink and drive forever altered the path of our lives," said the Oakville resident. "My son suffered a severe brain injury at age three and for 16 days was in a coma fighting for his life. He had to change and adapt and fight for his life. He's the "It was a pretty horrific accident. We've had trauma for years and we will never recover." Amy Tiberia, speaking about the drunk driving accident that nearly killed her son 14 years ago. bravest person I know." Raymond was only three-and-a-half years old when the family car collided with another vehicle in Erie, Pa. They were in the area visiting Tiberia's relatives. She said her family's dreams were rewritten and her daughter Erica suffered because Raymond's needs became so great. "It was a pretty horrific accident," said Tiberia. "We've had trauma for years and we will never recover." She said the other motorist involved was convicted of impaired driving and served six years in prison before being paroled. Tiberia said Raymond has trouble with his memory and retaining very much information. Now 17, he's a Grade 11 student at Chisholm Academy, a private school in Oakville. "It allows for individual learning in small classes," noted Tiberia. Raymond remembers nothing about the mishap that nearly cost his life. "Now it makes me wonder what would have been if I was not in the car accident," he said. "I had to re-learn everything." The Grade 11 student is doing a co-op placement in the parts department at Towne Chev-Olds in Oakville, but has not made any definite career plans yet. Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell said the annual MADD campaign is needed to make everyone understand that drinking and driving is still a concern. He noted there have been more than 200 drinking and driving related charges and four deaths so far in 2008. Last year there were fewer than 200 charges and eight deaths. "There was one horrific accident in Milton at a railway where a couple was slammed into an oncoming train and both lost their lives," said Crowell. "The tragedy still remains with us." He noted the other motorist in the July, 2007 accident (which killed Andy and Nettie Miller of Rockwood) had previously been charged with drinking and driving. Following the tragedy, the driver, Ingram Rahim Bakhsh, 29, of Milton pled guilty to two counts of impaired driving and two counts of failing to comply with the conditions of his release. BMW The Language of Love, Again... and Again... Come in and see our inventory of recently owned BMWs. After rigorous inspections only the most pristine vehicles are chosen. That's why we offer a warranty for up to 6 years or 160,000 kilometers. See dealer for details. (2 6 9) Budds' BMW Oakville 2454 South Service Road West, ON 1-866-459-4BMW buddsbmw.com blog.budds.net Finance from 1.9% (Available only in Canada)