Rotarian Betty Manso (right) presents a Chatham-Kent Public Library Literary Angels book in thanks to Mary Lou Crowley, Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.
This past week, we had the honour of hearing from Mary Lou Crowley, President & CEO of the Foundation of CKHA. The Foundation of CKHA is this year's recipient of our proceeds from our annual Rotary for Roses fundraiser.
As Mary Lou reminisced sadly at the beginning of her presentation, being able to receive cutting edge treatment in our home community of Chatham-Kent is a blessing.
Mary Lou watched as a child as her mother gave birth to her younger brother Joey three short days after burying Mary Lou's father. Her mother was later diagnosed with the first of five brain tumours six months to day after the birth of her brother Joey.
Mary Lou was one of seven children growing up outside of Peterborough, born to a farmer and a registered nurse. She spent much of her childhood watching the ambulance take her mother to St. Mike's in Toronto for treatment, hoping that she would return home again.
At a younger age, Mary Lou and her siblings grew up separated, taken care of by aunts and uncles, as her mother lived in a nursing home, much too young to be living there.
As Mary Lou encapsulated, being a fundraiser is more than just a job for her. It's not about the glory of attending events or fundraisers, it's about making a difference in people's lives.
Since our club's inception, we've provided the Foundation of CKHA with more than $50,000 including supporting such initiatives as the Make the Right Investment (MRI) campaign, Physician Recruitment, and Pediatrics.
Mary Lou acknowledged that the two highest cancer incidences in Chatham-Kent are colorectal and lung cancers. Overall, the Oncology Department at CKHA received more than 3,200 visits in the 2017-2018 year.
Much like Mary Lou's story, my mother lost her own mother at 11 years old in 1972 due to colorectal cancer and lost her less a year old brother Edward due to scarlet fever in 1966.
Today, I'm thankful that we have the medical technology we do in Chatham-Kent. And proud to announce that RM Classics selected the Foundation of CKHA as the beneficiary of the proceeds of the Sam Roberts concert held at this year's RetroFest.
Mary Lou has invited us to take a tour of the Oncology department to see first hand the impact our donation will have on cancer and patient care.
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