THE www.keremeosreview.com PM Agreement #40012521
Review Vol.17
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage
Number 13
Thursday, March 26, 2015
$1.15 including GST
Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
Former teen addict’s road to recovery Tara Bowie Review Staff
Tara Bowie
Longtime Canadian Cancer Society volunteer Carrol Neville, left, pins a daffodil pin onto Mayor Manfred Bauer’s lapel while volunteer Stan Neville holds a donation box. Bauer proclaimed April Daffodil Month. Fundraising boxes will be available at local merchants throughout the month.
Daffodil campaign grows hope
For the Canadian Cancer Society, the daffodil is more than a simple flower. During April – Daffodil Month – the Canadian Cancer Society asks all Canadians to buy a daffodil pin and wear it to show their support for those living with cancer. “We celebrate the power of the flower all year round – but April is really our time to shine!” said Lynnette Wray, financial support program team lead for the Canadian Cancer Society in the Southern Interior Region. “When loved ones are diagnosed with cancer, we often want to do something to help or honour them. This April, we want people to know that there is something they can do.” Keremeos residents can support Canadians living with cancer by buying and wearing a daffodil pin during April. Every donation made during the Canadian Cancer Society’s April Daffodil Campaign
brings us one step closer to preventing cancer, detecting it earlier, improving treatment and helping Canadians live longer, healthier lives. Last year, thanks to everyone’s generous support of Daffodil Month, the Canadian Cancer Society was able to fund $45 million dollars in world-class research to fight all cancers and help more than 85,000 Canadians through its information and support services. The Society also funds important cancer prevention work so fewer Canadians are diagnosed in the first place. “In April we like to focus on the support programs that help people in Keremeos on a cancer journey,” said Wray. “Like our Lodge in Kelowna where patients can stay during cancer treatments to the financial support program that helps pay for their travel expenses to get there.” Of the five different regions in the BC/ Yukon Division of the Canadian Cancer Society, the Southern Interior Region is the
largest user of the financial support program. Since September 2010, over 1,500 clients have been approved for a total of over $700,000 in funding. “Our region is the biggest user of the financial support program for several reasons,” explains Wray. “We’re very geographically dispersed and patients often have to travel long distances for cancer treatment in Kelowna or Vancouver. For example, a patient in Cranbrook might need specialized treatment that they can only get in Vancouver. That’s 958 kilometres with limited low-cost transportation options and barriers such as mountain passes and winter weather.” For more information 1-888-939-3333 | cancer.ca/daffodil “I’m proud to be a part of the Canadian Cancer Society because I think with the help of our amazing volunteers and generous donors we’re making a real difference in the lives of people on their cancer journey,” said Wray. Continued on page 10
If it wasn’t for a Keremeos area teen drug rehabilitation facility Rob Boretta-McLeod figures he would be in jail or dead. The now 23-year-old man who lives in Penticton spent almost a year total in the facility shortly after it opened in 2009/2010. He was the first male client at the facility. “This place made such a difference in my life. I don’t think people understand what it does for teens. We need more facilities like this and from my experience I know this one works,” he said during a phone interview. The Crossing, which was operated by Portage British Columbia abruptly closed its doors March 5. Spokespeople for Portage say despite efforts they were not able to come to an agreement on care or budget with the provincial government and were forced to pull out of the facility. Boretta-McLeod is part of an online group of former clients of the facility that are rallying and collecting signatures to petition the government to find a way to make a deal with Portage. “I’m a person that believes in the healing power of nature. It’s a beautiful area, peaceful and I think that’s one of the things for me and why it had such an impact is that I was totally away from the situation. Away from the drinking and the drugs in this beautiful place,” he said. Boretta-McLeod said he spent years drinking and doing drugs before finding his way to The Crossing. The North Vancouver teen wound up in the hospital several times from his excessive drinking. Although he tried to quit drinking on his own multiple times he couldn’t get past his demons. He described those years as a teenager addict “as very dark times.” “One of the things is that you can’t really process your feelings. I couldn’t deal with them. That’s one of the things I learned there,” she said. He entered the rehabilitation centre at 18. Boretta-McLeod said The Crossing’s therapeutic model included a collaborative approach that facilitated safe relationships. Days included multiple sessions with staff and other clients to talk about personal issues and develop plans together to deal with them. Continued on page 8