Bé - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 27, 1998 INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 CHARLYNN TOEWS T IS SO unfair to me that my life does not seem to have a ‘‘Before”’ and ‘‘After’’, just one big long “During.’” You know, tike in women’s nagazines when they do makeovers they have a ‘‘Before’’ pic- ture of a grumpy, sad-looking, colorless woman with siraggly hair and dark circles under her eyes, and then show an ‘‘After’” picture of the same Womatl now upswept and sparkling with blonde highlights, Plum # 42 gloss on her smil- ing lips and a designer scarf around her neck. I wonder about those *‘Before’’ pictures: do they tell the women being photographed to try to look as bad as possible? Do they tell them to think of dead puppies or something? Or do they wake them up really early in the moming then refuse to Ict them have a cup of coffee or even brush their teeth? Presently, I am in the middle of painting my shed. Just after we started scraping and sanding the old paint, Dave said, ‘‘Oh! We should have taken a ‘Before’ picture,’” It seemed too late to take a ‘‘Before’’ picture, because we were already In Progress, Then I thought to myself, ‘‘But if the purpose of the ‘Before’ picture is to look as bad as pos- sible, maybe we should wait until the whole shed is scraped because we are making it look worse and worse and worse.” Then, of course, I was too impatient to start the fun part, the brushing on of the clean new better paint, 1 couldn’t wait. I just started paint- ing one side as soon as it was ready while Dave sanded around the corner. The ‘After’ picture of the shed should be easy, you might think. You take it when you are done painting, but, as 1 said, I am in the middle of painting the shed. I had to stop painting just for a minute to put in a load of laundry and then the opportunity to go to the Kitwanga greenhouse came up, and I had to quickly plant out a few of my favorites right away, then go to a meeting and on the way home remember to buy some insecticide to get rid of the aphids before they devoured our entire maple tree. The Before and After photos in home decor magazines are unfair, too. I don’t mind the Be- fore pictures, they are extremely informative, and the sawdust and low ceilings look familiar and homey. The Before pictures are fine, but the After pic- tures! Would it kill them to put one sock in the living room? I have never scen a real living room that doesn’t have at least one sock in it, Many people, especially children, think the living room is the ideal place to remove and then display discarded socks. Many laundry-folders find the dining/living room to be the best location to work, so there is often a whole basket of clean socks, or some- times just one lonely sock peeking its shy toes out from behind a cushion, crying forlormly for its lost sole-mate. (Naturalists are wrong: socks do NOT mate for liie.) Sometimes I dream of having the whole house all clean at the same time, ready for an After photo shoot. Each and every sock would be picked up, mated, and put away; every single dish, spoon, cup and plate would be washed, dried, stacked; the toilet bowl would be sparkling as floors gleamed flawlessly and windows purely shone, There wouldn't be a pile of laundry anywhere, not even one hiding in a closet. In this dream though, even while 1 sat posing there in my spotless kitchen (both of us made- over for the photo shoot), I would know in my heart that laundry was accumulating as 1 smiled for the camera. I would be perspiring, no doubt, my clean blouse in the process of becoming dirty laundry right there on my back with each breath I took, with cach tick of the clack, And I would know as I sat there that the un- planted seedlings were drying out, that the aphids were. not only still thriving but multiply- ing, that even the new paint on the shed was Starling its slow but sure process of pecling while I’m still in the middle of painting it kak kkk Dear Charlynn: I wanted to say thank you for the good bit of humour this past Wednesday! Having spent over half my 38 years here in the ‘Vast Wilder- ness’ and the other portion in the ‘Metropolls of Vancouver’ I always enjoy city folks’ inter- pretations of the country that we live in. I have so many citified friends that believe that I live in the backwoods! Because they would never dream of travelling to this ‘‘numb- ing remoteness”* they really don’t know what they are missing, Perhaps we should let them remain in the dark —- then we don’t have to share it with them — for they would surely all flock here by the thousands if they only knew! Denise Tupman, Terrace'B.C. A real champion Brandon conquers d THREE-YEAR-OLD Brandon Armstrong is a champion. He’s a champion to his nurses and doctors at Chil- dren’s Hospital in Van- couver because of his ap- timism and invincible spirit. He’s a champion to his parents who have seen him through three major head and hand surgeries. Litle Brandon is a champion because he’s dealt with his rare disorder, Apert Syndrome, like a hero. Brandon’s disorder, Apert Syndrome, is a rare geneti- cal condition that caused boues in his head, hands and feet to fuse together before birth. In most cases the disorder also causes the area of the face from the eye to the jaw to appear sunken. “Pm not embar- rassed about Brandon af all. He's a beautiful little boy. He’s just as smarn as an average three year old, but he has to go through a lot more?” Because of his courage and cheerful outlock on life, British Columbia’s Chil- dren’s Hospital has chosen Brandon to be a representa- tive for theIndependent Or- der of Foresters Champions _ Across Canada Campaign, Along with eight other children from across the country, Brandon will act as an ambassador for the 12 million children treated at the North American hospi- tals that form part of the Children’s Miracle Network's (CMN) effort to raise money for sick chil- dren. The honour gels him a trip to Ottawa to meet the gover- nor general and a weekend at Disney World in Florida to meet Mickey Mouse. After participating ina pa- rade with Goofy and Mick- ey and other CMN celebrities and alhletes, he'll appear on Children’s Miracle Network’s annual telethon, CMN Champions, TERRACE STANDARD airing May 30-31, to help raise money and awareness for children’s _ hospitals across North America. ‘Brandon deserves it,” said his mother Joy Hill, “He’s been through so much. He’s like every other average child, he just has to go through a Jot.” Brandon’s genetic defect occurs in approximately one out of every 200,000 live births. He is one of only 14 children in B.C. treated at British Columbia’s Chii- dren’s Hospital for Aperl Syndrome. Brandon spent the first weeks of his life in the hos- pilal and almost died after an operation to reconstruct his head. Healthy babies are born with several loosely con- nected plates in the skull, which gradually grow to- gether to form the aduk skull. In an Apert’s child skull, the plates in the skull have prematurely fused, restrict- ing brain growth, and caus- ing increased pressure in the brain as it grows. Early surgery relieves the pressure by allowing the plates to be detached from one another. Some cranial remodeling may also be done in this carly surgery te give the baby a more normal appearance. Brandon has also gone through two major surgeries on his hands. Since he was bom without’ knuckles aud his fingers were fused together, surgery has helped ta separate his digits. Today, he still can’t make a fist, nor can he raise his hands above his head, but that doesn’t stop him from monkeying around and playing like any other three year old. Brandon may look differ- ently from other little boys, and be must breathe through his mouth since he was born with a small airway, but he doesn’t lack the enthusiasm or energy ofan average boy, Brandon is a_ regular funny, rambunctious, adorable litle three year old. “Pm not embarrassed about Brandon at all'’, his SECTION B isorder BRANDON ARMSTRONG, shown here with parents Joy Hill and Don Armstrong, has a rare genetical disorder called Apert Syndrome. He's been chosen to ap- pear on a national telethon and to go to Disney World in the effort to raise money to help sick children in hospitals around North America. mom said. ‘‘He’s a beautiful little boy. He’s just as smart as an average three year old, but he has to go through a lot more’’, Brandon has another surgery coming up in the fall on his head to help bim breathe better. ‘If I could take the surgery for him, | would,”’ Joy said. ‘‘Recovery after- wards lakes a long time, and IT WAS A TIME of fun and sun May 20 as children, parents and caregivers gathered at Elks part for a picnic to celabrate May as child care month. he’s in a Jot of pain,” This is what is so remark- able about Brandon. With each operation and painful recovery, he bas faced his fate with a brave and cheer- ful attitude. “After one head surgery his doctors and nurses couldn’t believe what a little trooper he was.”” Brandon was smiling from underneath his bandages, she said. And as soon as he could open his eyes and see, she said he was laughing. ‘He's always happy. He’s always smiling, he’s a real go-getter,’” she said. Brandon has two more head operations coming up: one in the fall, and another when he’s seven or eight. Without the surgery, his condition will only get WOIse, Around Town Let the music play THE SKEENA VALLEY FAIR ASSOCIATION is look- ing fora volunteer co-ordinator to find and organize music for this year’s fair, Sept. 5 and 6. Existing co-ordinator Tracy Degerness, who is leaving, has already started, says fall fair president Doug Kirkby. On the list so far are the Spirit of the Mountain Dancers fram Terrace and sponsorships are being sought to help bring in singer Laurie Thain, who is from Terrace and who is now living in Vancowver, The music events will take place in the afternoons of both days in a tent. Sight and Sound is already doing the sound and lights, said Kirkby. Call Kirkby at 638-0322 for more info. Way to go! TERRACE STUDENTS did well at provincial music and speech arts competitions in Prince George last week, Two Caledonia students were provincial winners. Caledonia student Kathleen Marsh beat out university stu- dents on the french bom to take the provincial championship and Courtney Preyser won intermediate brass playing the trumpet. Rehana Manji was first runner up for junior speech arts. Button blanket unveiling CLARENCE MICHIEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and the First Nations Education Centre are blessing and unveil- ing the Unity Button Blanket May 28 at 10 a.m. at the school, Hereditary chiefs, chiefs from five clans, teachers, sup- port staff, home school coordinators, counsellors, cultural events coordinator, elders, volunteers and students will be attending. Students learned about crests, clans, and the significance of the button blanket to the Tsimshian, Bach student com- pleted a miniature button blanket with a crest on it. Elders and a group of volunteers sewed the many pleces together. COMMUNITY: