EVANSVILLE—The tremendous local community support for two young girls who are battling acute leukemia was never more evident than at two events held on the same day, December 20.
On that date, six-year-old Sadie Graham and her parents Rob and Jess Graham along with her brother Ray were on their way home from Toronto to their home in Evansville after Sadie had undergone treatment for the past few months at SickKids Hospital. The return home for the family was held just in time to celebrate the Christmas holidays.
Little did the family know that Deanna Hardy and Michael Lalonde (Sadie’s step grandfather) had planned a welcoming rally for Sadie and her family. Members of the Gore Bay and the Burpee and Mills Volunteer Fire Departments were on hand for the welcoming celebration for the family late in the afternoon, and Ms. Hardy had contacted Charles C. McLean Public School in Gore Bay (where Sadie attends school) and many students and teachers were on hand, as well as her grandmother Kim Lalonde, and her grandparents, and friends of the family. The firefighters had their trucks on display with lights and sirens blaring as the family came upon the large gathering on Highway 540 near H and M Mini Mart, located just outside of Gore Bay. Students and staff at Charles C. McLean along with others held up signs and balloons welcoming back and bade best wishes to Sadie and her family on returning home. As well, officers with the Manitoulin detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) also stopped the vehicle the Graham family was in down the highway to slow them down as they proceeded toward the large gathering of people and to help control traffic. When the vehicle pulled over to the side of the highway members of the family rolled down windows on the truck or got out of the vehicle where the hugs and tears started.
“This is like a Hallmark movie,” stated Rick Graham, Sadie’s grandfather and Burpee and Mills Volunteer Fire Chief told The Expositor. “It is so special. People don’t do this kind of stuff in most places, but they do on the Island.”
“With everything going on in the world you start losing faith in humanity, but then when you see what people like Deanna, Michael, Nicole Middleton, all the firefighers and students and teachers, OPP officers it makes all of that go away,” said Mr. Graham. “We couldn’t wait to get them home for the holidays.”
Not to be outdone, the Burpee and Mills Fire Department Association held a fundraising silent auction for both Sadie Graham and her family, and Morgan Harper and her family. As was reported last October, Ms. Harper (who lives with her family in Vittoria, Ontario) has many Island family connections, her parents are Andrew Harper and Stephanie Quinn while her grandparents are Ruth Harper and Glen and Linda Harper, and her great grandmothers are Stella Harper and Mona Lewis.
Morgan, who is also undergoing chemotherapy treatment in southern Ontario, celebrated her eighth birthday in October and her family had requested members of the public to help make her birthday extra special by sending her birthday cards, demonstrating she is thought of and loved by many. And boy did the public respond, with respondents from all over sending her a huge number of cards!
The silent auction took place at the Burpee and Mills community hall on the evening of December 20. “We have 82 items to be bid on in the silent auction,” said Nicole Middleton, one of the main organizers of the event, which included food and soft drinks available for children and their families.
There was a surprise visit by Santa Claus who handed out gifts to all the children (again provided through the Burpee and Mills Fire Department Association). Along with the gifts and silent auction items which were all donated, the fire association had a donation fire boot set up during the evening.
“Each family will receive $1,183.50 through money raised through the event,” Ms. Middleton reported.
