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

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 22, 2013 · 6 Opinion & Letters 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Oakville Beaver THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Be a donor Letter to the editor Imagine getting a second chance... not just at a test, job, game or an ordinary day gone wrong... but life. The smile on Keith Childerhose's face is a clue as to what it must feel like. As Childerhose beams at strangers, his loved ones, the sheer joy of driving down the QEW, he is walking evidence of how precious is the gift of life. While it was through the talents of the medical community and its support systems at Toronto General Hospital -- a world-renowned expert when it comes to the mysteries of the lung -- that the Oakville father to five was able to realize his second chance through a double lung transplant, there are others he wishes to thank. He may never get that opportunity. That is to the person who agreed to sign their donor card and surrendered their lungs to someone who could use them -- Childerhose. That is also to that person's family, who, according to Childerhose's main supporter, his wife Sarah Taylor, must consent to the wishes of their loved one's donation. Taylor, like many of us, admitted she had in the past heard about this person needing a kidney or that person needing a liver, etc. without giving it much thought. As Childerhose came closer to death than any of us would want at the tender age of 41, and as Taylor watched him dance ever closer to leaving this world, she had the opportunity to give much thought to organ donation. Today, Childerhose is walking -- yes, he's up walking, unassisted, celebrating his Wednesday release from hospital and beaming with his new-found life -- proof of how important a donation can be. Often the gift of a person's organs after death don't just save one life, but could impact a half dozen people or more. The experience seems far from home, but as Taylor points out -- she lists the numerous Oakville people who have recently had transplants -- it is not. Nor is the Oakville push for the Oakville Be a Donor campaign supported by local transplant recipients like Jennifer Malabar, and Town councillors, among others. One needs only look into the kindly eyes of Keith Childerhose, who has been through so much, to see how someone's gift of life has taken the dark, sunken hollows that ringed his forlorn gaze as he was struggling to breathe and transformed them into smiling, happy, healthy pools of wonder at the world around him -- for a second time. Life is all around us. It is precious. For many it has become something to which they must bid adieu. It is a gift -- and it is within all of us, particularly those who must part with it, to give. Be a donor. Navigator needs help I know first-hand what it is like to have a family member suffer with mental illness. According to statistics, I am not alone. One in five Ontarians has a mental illness. When our son Matthew first started showing signs of mental instability at age sixteen, my husband and I stumbled around until we finally found some support to address our son's symptoms. Nothing helped Matthew for any sustained period of time. Our family was desperate and in despair. I wish the Halton Health Services (HHS) Navigator Program had been available when we needed it. The Navigator Program could have expedited the confusing array of various agencies and guided Matthew to the correct doctors and promising treatment -- something that only happened by chance, more than 20 years later in 2009, a year before his death. I joined the Oakville Hospital Foundation's Navigator Program campaign because I know the positive impact it will have on hundreds of families. Throughout this campaign, every $1 donated to the program will trigger an additional $2.50 through the generosity of the Mental Wellness Network and the Amarna Foundation. The goal is to raise $1,250,000 by December 2013. Once raised, this money will be self-sustaining and will support the program for many years. Please join me and give families the urgent support system they desperately need on their road to recovery. Donna Kirk, Oakville www.navigatorcampaign.com www.donnakirk.com Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. There must be a better way Re: Common sense needed when snowplowing, The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 After this last snowfall, I was forced remove approximately 10 cubic meters of snow from the Town of Oakville right of way to permit access from my driveways. I have a corner lot with the dubious luxury of two driveways. I, too, find that the windrow on my side of the road is always at least twice the volume of those on my opposing neighbour's property. I had, until now, accepted it as fate. Recently, however, in the Toronto Star, appeared an article containing the revelation that certain municipalities in the Toronto area actually accept responsibility for their actions and have a policy of returning within a given period to remove that obstacle to private property they created. Cutting the grass on the Town's property is one thing, but removing the deposited snow is far more arduous, particularly for seniors and/ or those with a medical condition. Perhaps the Town of Oakville might engage in some constructive thought towards a more responsive solution. At the very least, they could investigate the possibility of a program for seniors whereby, upon request, are issued a special stake to identify their driveway so that the plow operator can exercise his judgment to their advantage. Don Macmillan, Oakville The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.