Expecting CancerBy: Jenny Robertson
On August 11, 2010, a 17 year old girl beat the cancer she was expecting to have. Lynn McBride, a high school student from Caledon, Ontario was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer earlier in the year of 2010. Even though cancer would come as quite an unexpected shock to most people, for her, it was something expected. “I wasn't sad about it,” McBride says, while recalling the time she was first diagnosed. “The least worried person was probably me, becauseIi knew that nothing was going to happen. I was going to be fine.” It is very rare to find a person who is as hopefully and confident once finding out they have cancer. McBride explained that the reason she was so calm and understand about having cancer, was because of her family history. “My entire family has had it, different types. Everyone in my family has had a type of cancer. I had papillary thyroid cancer, which is stage one thyroid cancer.” Not only did several of her family members have cancer, but someone very close to her had as well. Her mother. McBride's mother, Wanda Mcbride, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had gone through treatment for breast cancer twice in the past, six years apart. McBride found more hope for her own cancer by knowing her mother had been able to beat it as well. Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common type of thyroid cancer, making up almost 80% of thyroid cancer diagnoses. The procedure for removing the cancer consisted of removing the thyroid completely from the patient, called a thyroidectomy. “It wasn't my first surgery, so it wasn't scary. My first surgery was when i was a baby. Before I was two I had tubes in my ears three times.” McBride stated, having completed the surgery successfully on June 21, 2010 and spent only three days in the hospital after for recovery. “About a month after I had two weeks of an iodine free diet before going into three days of solitary confinement for iodine radiation. I had to take two pills and had three days in the hospital by myself. Then two weeks of solitary confinement at home after that, and then i was done. I didn't have a voice. It was super high pitched and I didn't get it back until just before school school started, so two months later.” Even though McBride was able to take her own diagnoses so lightly, a few other people had a harder time with the news. She had a lot of people to confront about the news, including her large family as well as friends at school. “The people at school were shocked. I heard a year later that there was people that didn't believe it, that people actually said that I was lying about having cancer.” Over two years later, after having completed her treatments and constantly taking pills to replace her missing thyroid, McBride has not been touched by cancer since. Despite that fact, however, she believes she will have cancer again, being aware of her family's history. McBride believes no matter what happens, she will be able to beat cancer. “Other than my scar, nothing changed.” |
Hundreds March in Remembrance Day ServiceBy: Jenny Robertson
Hundreds marched through Bolton on Nov. 11 2012 to join in on the Remembrance Day ceremony that took place at the Bolton Cenotaph this past Sunday. The 91st march began at the Bolton Firehall on Anne St. at 10 a.m. Forming together with local participants, they marched through the town towards the Laurel Hill Cemetery, led by Kevin Junor, Chief Warrant Officer in the Canadian Army and Marshall of the parade. The march continued to the Bolton Cenotaph, where people were seated for the Remembrance Day service ceremony in honour of all Canadians who served their country in the war. Each and every participant, young or old, bore a bright red poppy on their chest in support and respect. The service began with Pastor Jeff Enns of the Bolton Alliance Church as speaker, acknowledging significant participants as well as reading the historical poem, In Flanders Fields. “In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row.” Following the ceremony was the laying of the wreaths by many community members in memory of soldiers. Junor ended the ceremony by addressing the community with thanks of attendance. He stated that the service was a great success. This year was the first year Bolton was able to have it's Remembrance Day Ceremony on Nov 11. “Today is an outstanding day. We've had this parade for a number of years, but never on the day of November 11. The good lord has blessed us today, that we got to remember this day on the exact day. Its always great to have the soldiers support, to come here to march with us, but today its truly a community parade.” Junor also had a few words of remembrance of his own. “Lets not forget the men and women that served, that gave their lives for us. Because thats why we have the freedom that we have today, to be able to march through the streets of bolton.” |