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Vol.20 No.9
85¢
Wednesday May 4, 2016
Community rallies around cancer-stricken toddler BY VOICE STAFF
Two-and-a-half year-old Makinley Sebert of Fenwick underwent emergency surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumour three weeks ago.Friends and community members have come together to support Makinley and her family in their time of need.
Erosion closes Sulphur Springs BY VOICE STAFF Effingham residents who use Sulfur Spring Drive have been forced to take a detour these past few weeks as a portion of the scenic rural road has been closed off due to safety concerns. The road, which runs along parts of Twelve Mile Creek, has seen a significant portion of the nearby embankment washed away. “Erosion of a stream bank adjacent to a portion of Sulphur Spring Drive has been monitored for some time, but recent wet weather has escalated the deteriorating conditions,” said Andrea Clemencio, Director of Public Works See EROSION Page 5
A little over three weeks ago, Makinley Sebert was living the carefree life of your average two-year-old. Today the Fenwick resident is recovering from brain surgery, trying to get strong enough to undergo the chemotherapy treatments she needs to beat her recently diagnosed cancer. “She had been complaining about a little bit of pain in her eye,” recounted Emily Reid, Makinley’s godmother. “Her mother took her to the eye doctor, and the eye doctor told her to go immediately to the hospital.” Makinley and her mother, Carol-Anne Sebert, rushed to McMaster in Hamilton.
“Within an hour they were getting an MRI done and they saw that there was in fact a brain tumour,” said Reid, “and so something like 6 hours later they were performing brain surgery.” Things initially went very well. The toddler did great during surgery, and doctors were able to remove the entire tumour. “It was like our prayers had been answered,” said Reid. “She woke up requesting chicken nuggets and so we thought, ‘OK, this is good.’” However, that good mood evaporated when Makinley’s test results came back: the tumour was malignant. She would have to underSee MAKINLEY Page 3
Helping kids build lifelong fitness habits Program increases physical and mental confidence BY ZACH JUNKIN The VOICE There are a lot of different activities competing for a child’s attention these days, and many of them are sedentary. Physically active play is often being replaced by various forms of screen time, be it television, Netflix, video games, or smart phones. In an attempt to encourage a healthier alternative, Glynn A. Green has teamed up with Fonthill Fitness, introducing students from grades 7 and 8 to the benefits of recreational exercise. “It’s another option for their leisure time,” said Mrs. Lehne, a teacher at the elementary school. “What I was hoping to do was get them hooked on
something they could do in their summer. Instead of just hanging out, they could say ‘why don’t we go to the gym and put in a set?’” Three different classes containing a total of about 75 students were brought to the Fonthill gym four times over the course of the year. There they were shown the various machines and taught how to properly use them. They were also instructed in a number of different exercises, taking performance measurements early in the year, and comparing them to those taken on the final day. “It wasn’t about competing with anyone else, but about giving them their own way to measure their improvement,” said Lehne. “And
Glynn A. Green student Jayden Grenville working out at Fonthill Fitness. The local gym recently teamed up with the elementary school to encourage healthier lifestyles through recreational fitness. VOICE PHOTO so far, everyone has made great strides.” Mike Browne runs the facility and has worked closely with the kids throughout the year. He has been very pleased with their development, and their maturity. “There’s no doubt that
the egos are there,” he said with a smile, “but the listening skills have been excellent, they have learned extremely fast, they are respectful, and they have great questions.” See PROGRAM Page 7