White Division

Oliver Crowe

Posted December 03 2008 by White Convenor

When I joined the Burlington Old Timers Hockey Club, I new that I was very fortunate to be associated with such a great group of guys. Yes, this League is about Hockey. This last couple of weeks showed me that we have gone way beyond Hockey. We are a force in the community, a force that is a thousand guys strong and a little effort can produce great results.

We heard about the plight of Oliver Crowe and his family from Mark Buchanan, the Red Division Convenor. The Convenors went to the Captains, the Captains to their team. Our membership opened their hearts and their wallets as we passed the hat.

To date we have raised $4,840.00 for Oliver, this money is much needed as Oliver fights this nasty disease. Gentlemen, THANK YOU, you are the best!

Oliver, we are your biggest fans and wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Don Aro
Convenor White Division

For those of you who did not have a chance to contribute, your Captains are still taking donations. Please take a few minutes to read the article about Oliver and pass it on to your friends.

http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/218509

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Oliver Crowe
Fundraiser Nov. 29 to help teen battling massive brain tumour
Tim Whitnell, Burlington Post Staff
Published on Nov 09, 2008
Friends are rallying around a local woman, a single mother of four children, one of whom is fighting brain cancer.
Leslie Edridge’s eldest son, Oliver Crowe, was diagnosed with a large brain tumour on Thanksgiving Day and has undergone three surgeries in less than a month.
A benefit concert, called Oliver’s Song, along with a silent auction, organized by Leslie’s longtime friend, Michelle Bouzan, will be held Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Legendary Red Rooster Vintage Café, 484 Plains Rd. E.
“I must say, I have a renewed faith in the Burlington community. The support I have been receiving and the response to this event has been very overwhelming. It is nice to see a community pulling together and paying it forward,” said Bouzan.
Oliver, 16, developed hiccups about six months ago that never left. The hiccuping became more severe causing vomiting, dizziness and headaches. Edridge took him to several doctors. The teen was given an abdominal ultrasound that was clear so an appointment was made to see a specialist, but not until February 2009, for what was believed to be a stomach problem.
However, the hiccups became so bad that Oliver had fainting spells. His mother took him to McMaster Children’s Hospital’s emergency department, where they were immediately referred to a specialist; a number of tests followed including a CTscan.
Emergency surgery
An eye test revealed pressure behind Oliver’s eyes. The CT-scan showed a massive tumour at the back of his brain. The diagnosis was medulloblastoma.
Oliver was transferred to Hamilton General Hospital, where emergency surgery was performed on Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 13, to remove the tumour. Most of it was removed but not all because some of it had attached to his brain stem.
On Oct. 15, the youth had more surgery to install a shunt to alleviate pressure caused by the leftover tumour.
Oliver underwent yet a third operation last Wednesday, where the surgeon was able to remove more of the tumour.
“They were able to remove 60 per cent of the (leftover) brain stem tumour,” said Edridge. However, she noted her son still has smaller tumours in two parts of his brain and on his spine.
“He’s recovering amazingly. He was eating right after, taking steps and his speech is perfect. He has a little bit of paralysis on his right side,” noted Edridge, who is spending much of her time with him at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Her son is now facing high-dose aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatments for six weeks, followed by continued chemo, to try to shrink or kill off the remaining tumours.
Although the Nov. 29 fundraiser at the Red Rooster café is sold out, Edridge said another local fundraiser is being planned for sometime in January.
“It’ll be something that Oliver can go to and all the kids, too,” she said.
The teen attends Robert Bateman High School and is in Grade 11. He is the eldest of four children, which includes younger brothers Josh, 15, and Sam, 12, and sister Haylee, 10.
Edridge is a self-employed house cleaner who is no longer able to work as she looks after Oliver fulltime through his treatments and recovery.
She said that when her son leaves hospital, a lot of his treatments, medications and supplies will not covered as she does not have extended health care coverage. Out-of-hospital physiotherapy, prescription medications plus any natural herbal remedies and or naturopathic advice she seeks will not be covered, she said.
“A program here at hospital may help cover some medications but not physiotherapy. I’m also very into holistics,” said Edridge.
For more information, or to make a donation to a trust fund being set up for Oliver, contact Julie Maxwell at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) . There are some $10 tickets left for the Red Rooster fundraiser. Contact Michelle at 905-580-5136 or by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .
http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/218509
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