Brittani Lawson, a 21-year-old woman from Verona, and her service dog Anchor met me at Tim Hortons recently. Brittani has a medically diagnosed, non-visible disability and her doctors say that she needs a service dog to allow her to live an independent and normal life. She was forced to take control of the supply and training of her service dog when the non-government independent organizations could not meet her needs.

Medical professionals recognize the value of trained service dogs for people with non-visible disabilities. The matching of a trained service dog to these individuals can save lives, and helps them lead a normal and independent life. The training, accreditation and supply of these animals is left in private hands, with little or no federal or Ontario Provincial Government guidelines.

A service dog team consists of the handler with a medically diagnosed need, and a trained dog. The province of Alberta has come to grips with this need and issues photo ID cards for all individual certified service dog teams. Guidelines for the certification, service dog training, public and business education is available from Assistance Dogs International (ADI), an international not-for-profit organization pooling the resources and experience of many international service dog groups. Ontario does not have to make up the rules.

In the same way that we accept the use of dogs to detect explosives, the concealment of narcotics, or buried avalanche survivors, we must learn to accept that service dogs are needed by many people with different non-visible disabilities. The dogs’ heightened sense of smell detects changes in the scent emitted by people with, for example, insulin deficiency from diabetes, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and can alert them to the onset of a seizure and the need for help.

A certified service dog is a well trained, non-aggressive and medically alert animal. Its job is to ensure the safety of its team partner. A service dog is trained with a combination of kindness and rewards for actions. Do not speak to, pat, or feed treats to the dog without the handler’s permission. You will confuse and distract it, and this may have deadly results for the human member of that “service dog team”. When meeting a service dog team, always speak to the handler, not the dog.

A few years ago, when it was suggested that a service dog would help Brittani to live a normal independent life, there were no trained dogs available. Brittani and her family purchased a Labrador puppy named Anchor from a good breeder and started an intensive ADI based owner-training program. Brittani performed the many hours of weekly training, with her family providing the taxi service and long waiting times. Not everyone can have this support, and not every medical need lends itself to owner training. Government support is required.

Having now passed the test as a service dog team, Anchor wears his official service dog vest. Most businesses accept this, but not all. In Ontario, public and business education is required. A service dog team may be challenged for being where dogs are not allowed. Currently the handler must produce a doctor’s letter to confirm that they need the service dog for personal health reasons. They may also have to argue their rights, and that is wrong.

An Ontario photo ID card similar to a driver’s license, as they have in Alberta is required.

New local service for kids with ADHD and Autism

Amanda Neadow, standing with her sons Jason and Dawson, opened the JDN Center for Children in Perth on September 10. The center will provide ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) Therapy and parent coaching support to children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism and Cognitive Deficit Disorders. Neadow is originally from the Sharbot Lake area.

When her two sons were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD),

Neadow did extensive research “to understand what ADHD was, how to treat it and how to ensure that my boys would be successful”

She did a lot of it on her own. “We used the sources that the school offered, but the majority of sources and support we used was based on our own research,” she explains.

“There are many children who have ADHD, ASD and Cognitive Deficits who struggle every day and their parents and caregivers want their children to be happy and healthy,” Neadow says. “It is a real-life struggle and worry. So if the JDN Center can help parents start or continue their journey with more resources, information, and support than my family had; then our job is done.”

The JDN Center is located at the Elliot Street Medical Clinic, 12 Elliot St. in Perth. For more information visit www.jdncenter.com

Medical Community Welcomes New Local Service for Kids with ADHD and Autism

When Amanda Neadow discovered her two sons were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), she felt both relief as well as an immediate desire to fix the problem.

And she did a lot of it on her own.

“We used the sources that the school offered, but the majority of sources and support we used was based on our own research,” she explains. “I am a ‘fixer’ by nature and I was determined to understand what ADHD was, how to treat it and how to ensure that my boys would be successful. I spent many days and nights researching, reading, trying, failing and trying again.”

Her son’s EA then made a life-changing suggestion: try ABA Therapy.

ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) places emphasis on functional skills that are meaningful in day-to-day life, that will, over time, increase or decrease targeted behaviours. These principles can help to decrease maladaptive behaviors such as aggression, self-stimulatory behaviors, and self-injury. The therapy is useful for children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism or Cognitive Deficit Disorders.

“The results were amazing!” Neadow explains. “My son learned how to identify his feelings and he was stopping and thinking before physically reacting to a situation. He had gained self-control and confidence.”

But accessing these services meant two things for Neadow: driving into Ottawa three days a week for two months and missing work as a result. She’s adamant the reward outweighed the commitment, and Neadow wanted to bring these same solutions to other families while recognizing the need and convenience to have such services offered locally.

This September, she’ll open the doors to the JDN Center for Children at the Elliot Street Medical Clinic in Perth. The Center will offer one-on-one ABA therapy for children in JK to Grade 8 as well as parent coaching and social skills development. They’ll also host social skills group to help children engage in positive peer relationships while parents can also access guidance as their children undergo the ABA sessions.

Sub-head: Medical Community Welcomes ABA Therapy

When Neadow pitched her business idea to the local medical community, she got good feedback. Medical practitioners outlined their appreciation to offer parents another resource for their children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism or a Cognitive Deficit Disorder.

Dr. Beth Anne Van Noppen, a local physician, says she’s thrilled about the new service.

“I was really excited when Amanda came to me with the idea of an ADHD centre. I have seen Amanda work sacrificially to get the care she needed for her boys. I now see that determination and courage as she embarks on the starting of the JDN Center, Van Noppen says, adding that she, too has had this long-time dream to offer alternative services. “It’s easy to take medication.  It’s not easy to work through these difficulties. It takes a lot of effort and commitment. I think JDN will be a great asset in helping both parents and kids as they develop new responses to different situations.”

And that’s exactly what Neadow hopes to offer with the JDN Center.

“There are many children who have ADHD, ASD and Cognitive Deficits who struggle every day and their parents and caregivers want their children to be happy and healthy,” Neadow says. “It is a real-life struggle and worry. So if the JDN Center can help parents start or continue their journey with more resources, information, and support than my family had; then our job is done.”

Welcome BBQ Set for Sept. 10

To launch the JDN Center for Children, a Welcome BBQ will take place at the Elliot Street Clinic on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. JDN staff will be there and BBQers can get a tour of the Elliot Street Clinic located at 12 Elliot St. There will also be fidget toy giveaways and face painting. To learn more about the Welcome BBQ and the JDN Center for Children, visit www.jdncenter.com.

Thirteen-year-old Blayne Thompson from Mountain Grove plays left field for the Peewee Napanee Express baseball team. The Express played in the Eastern Canadian Championships in Bellechasse, Quebec, which were held August 25-28, and they won the tournament.

Blaine had been playing in the Central Frontenac League until this year when he decided to try out for the Express. He has been travelling to League games and tournaments all summer. The qualifying tournament for the championships took place in Stratford.

Francis and Linda Manion and Sharbot Lake Pharmasave have sponsored him, helping to cover some of the tournament costs.

The Express were undefeated in the tournament.

When asked how he started creating chainmail jewellery, Bill Anderson said, “It wasn't my choice - my wife bought me a lesson package to try. After I started, I took to it like ducks to the water and wanted to learn more. So I started watching videos and taking advanced classes."

When blood clots in the lungs left Bill Anderson with chronic pain that traditional medicine could not erase, his wife Nancy encouraged him to use alternative medicine through art therapy. She was concerned about the effects of persistent, chronic pain and the resulting inactivity.

Bill found that he prefers to work with the 16 to 18 gauge of wire when weaving, as the finer 10 gauge was harder on his eyes and more difficult for a man with large hands. He says that working with the wire has, "increased my dexterity and reduced my arthritic pain."

Most surprisingly though, Bill Anderson found that while weaving these creations, “The hours flew by and I never noticed the chronic pain”.

The process of personal growth through creativity also involved Bill in lessons and mentoring with other chainmail artisans. It gave him a creative will and dream to pursue and as Bill says, he was able to keep his three lovely daughters and wife in jewellery.

The impact of pain on a chronic level can be considerable, affecting self-image, decreasing physical and mental ability, creating feelings of lifestyle loss and leading to memory deficiency, depression and anxiety.

There are many theories about pain and chronic pain. One, put forward by the research team of Butler and Moseby in 2008, speculates that as far as the brain is concerned pain is initiated by fight or flight, and fear and avoidance. Perhaps while Bill is concentrating on the calm, focused fabrication of these beautiful, intricate designs, his mind does not detect danger or radiate pain.

Whatever the reason is, Bill says, "I never notice the pain while working."

The chain of events following Bill's pursuit of his art has had some other very positive side effects. He says, "It caused me to vastly expand my list of friends. "

Once Bill's entire family had all the jewellery they could use, he began his business - Chainmail Jewellery by Bill. He started a website in the same name and has now sold and shipped his chainmail jewellery worldwide.

He exhibits at art shows such as Art in the Sawmill on August 6 & 7 in Verona. He also keeps a facebook page and can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

His work is also available at Passionate Artisans on 28 Bath Road in Kingston, Ontario.

From the initial suggestion by his loving wife Nancy that he try a course in chainmail, Bill Anderson has fought back chronic pain link by link and moved on to an exciting new chapter in his life.

Mike Procter of Sharbot Lake won the Provincial Tomahawk Throwing Championship again on the August long weekend. Procter has been throwing tomahawks for close to 17 years and he first took home the Bob Gregory Provincial Tomahawk Trophy in 2014. Procter is one of the founding members of the Frontenac Blades, a group of knife and tomahawk-throwing enthusiasts. The Blades gave a demonstration at the Sharbot Lake Farmers’ Market on August 6.

People come to Frontenac County for many reasons.

In Debbie Reeve's case it was to have a home base, and a refuge for her and her husband to come back to at least once a year. So 13 years ago they purchased a property at Georgia Lake in North Frontenac.

Debbie’s husband Warren, the founder of Missional Church International Network, ran a church in Indonesia for 11 years and has been doing the same in Kuwait for the past six years. Debbie is a painter and art educator and she ran her business in Kuwait for the past six years.

The couple took up full-time residence at their cottage near Myers Cave last December in order to be able to work locally and provide support for family members. After spending the winter settling in, Reeve is gearing up her business this summer.

She has been showing her work in local shows, such as the Bon Echo Art Show & Sale and Napanee's Art in the Park. She will also be at this weekend's Cloyne Showcase at North Addington Education Centre.

Reeve is a realistic painter. Her paintings show a love for light and transparency. Her subject matter is diverse, as the need to be constantly creating is what drives Debbie to explore different painting challenges. She has paintings hanging in private collections in Indonesia, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, France, England, and Korea, as well as in Canada.

She trained at St. Lawrence College when she was younger, and over the years has studied at the Haliburton School of the Arts. She has also taken courses at the Ontario College of Art and Design.

“I've been painting a lot in the last few months, so I have more and more paintings of the local landscape, local flowers and things like Bon Echo Rock,” she said when interviewed from her studio early this week.

Reeve is also finally getting back some of her work from Kuwait, which took a long time to be shipped back. That work features a very different landscape, to be sure, as well as animals such as zebras and elephants.

In addition to painting landscapes, animals and flora in watercolour, she paints more abstract work in acrylic and mixed media as well.

The other part of her art business is as an art educator, and over the past few months she has been working hard to convert their garage into an art studio that is capable of hosting workshops.

With the work now completed she is offering her first workshops to the public this month.

“I'm starting with the kind of workshop I would never offer in Kuwait. It's a Paint your Paddle workshop on August 16, 23 and 30” she said.

There will also be more traditional watercolour workshops on August 24 and September 10.

“Most of my students have had little to no experience painting with watercolour or acrylic. I take great delight in teaching the secrets and techniques of painting and drawing while watching my students create works of art they never thought they could,” she said of the joys of teaching fine art.

Reeve also offers piano and vocal lessons from her studio. A schedule of workshops and lessons, with pricing and directions to her studio, are available on her website, Debbiereeve.com

Dr. Laurel Dempsey came to Verona in the mid-1990s from Toronto. She was interested in primary care and community-based medicine and wanted to participate in what she describes as the “first iteration of primary care reform in Ontario”.

Doctor Gordon Day was getting ready to retire from his practice in Verona at the time, and the two worked together for five years until Dr. Dempsey took over the practice, and bought the clinic building in the year 2000.

Since then she has not only run the clinic and served the large rural practice, which had been established since the early 1960s, she has also been the lead physician for the Rural Kingston Family Health Organisation (FHO). The Rural Kingston FHO is made up of all the primary care providers in Frontenac and rural L&A counties, including the physician-run clinics in Sydenham, Verona, Tamworth, and Newburgh, and the family health teams in Sharbot Lake and Northbrook.

“The idea behind the family health organisation was to offer a solid family medicine base for rural residents, with the addition of other services,” she said.

As the result of the FHO, dietician, psychiatric, dermatology, and even cardiac services have been offered at the Verona clinic and at other locations in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington.

Lynn Wilson, who has been the administrator of both the Verona Clinic and the FHO, has also managed an initiative called Health Links. Health Links targets the most medically vulnerable population, has also been established in the two counties.

But for her patients, Doctor Dempsey has always been someone who understood rural practice. When she took over from Dr. Day, she continued to put in long hours, and quietly made home visits to some of her very ill patients.

“She has been such an open and welcoming person, and from the start her relationship to the community and to her patients has been a warm one,” said John McDougall, who is a patient of hers and was one of the founders of the Verona Medical Services Committee. The committee now acts as a liaison between the clinic and the Township of South Frontenac.

The relationship between the clinic and the township was also an offshoot of Dr. Dempsey's efforts. She went to the Verona Community Association 10 years ago to talk about the future, envisioning back then that things would need to change in order to ensure the future of primary care in Verona upon her retirement.

Two of the issues that needed to be worked on were physician recruitment and the related issue of the ownership of the building where the Verona Medical Clinic is located.

“Doctor Dempsey told us, and this was confirmed when we went to meet with medical students to try and sell them on Verona, that the new generation of doctors did not want to take on the financial or administrative burden of owning buildings, so we went to the township and they were willing to take ownership of the building, which was very important,” said McDougall.

The clinic has been able to recruit two doctors over the past five years: Doctor Oglaza, who is about to do a residency in public health, and Doctor Gibbons, who will be taking over as lead physician at the clinic next month as Dr. Dempsey is retiring.

“One thing our patients need to know is that they have to register with Doctor Gibbons,” said Doctor Dempsey, “but patients don't need to worry that they are losing services, as she will take all of my patients on.”

An Open House is set for this Saturday, May 28 at the Verona Lions Hall between 2 and 4pm for the community to express their appreciation for the 21 years of service Dr. Dempsey has given to the community, and there will be a dinner later on. For tickets to the dinner, contact the Lions.

As for Doctor Dempsey, she may be retiring from her full-time practice but she will be continuing to work in Verona and at some other clinics on a more casual basis. A commitment to family medicine is not something that is turned off when doctors reach the so-called retirement age.

“She has always been committed to reform but is also a link to the way medicine was practised in the past,” said John McDougall. “She certainly has done well by us in Verona over the years.”

Janice Conway has always been a supporter of the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, which is taking place this year on June 18 at the Parham Fairgrounds, from 12 noon until midnight.

Janice's maternal grandmother died of breast cancer, and her paternal grandmother, Marguerite, also developed the disease at the age of 84. Fortunately she has survived and is still kicking at 95.

Janice has been a participant and team captain over the years, and said she supports the event because it is a community event and contributes to fighting cancer locally and though research. “Being a team captain is a big commitment, but it is worth it. It is hard work to organize team meetings before the relay because people are busy and to help with fund raising, but the committee helps out and the relay itself is a great experience.”

Janice's own experience with cancer became more acute when her father, Alvin Conway, was diagnosed with lung cancer early in 2014. Alvin was well known in Parham since he had been the custodian at Hinchinbrooke school from the early 1990s until he retired in 2008. He had worked at Land O'Lakes in the 80s and at Sydenham High School and in Kingston before that, for a total of 37 years with the school board.

“He retired when he turned 60, not because he wanted to leave since he loved working in the school, but because my mother needed his support since she has diabetes and other health concerns,” said Janice. “At least he had a few good years of retirement.”

Until he started to have back pains in the summer of 2013, Janice does not remember her father ever being sick, much less seeing a doctor. It was late in the year that the possibility that the pains were caused by cancer was first raised and early in 2014 he got the lung cancer diagnosis.

“Throughout 2014, it was mostly my sister who took Dad for his treatments because I was working, but I took him quite a few times, and my brother as well. He had chemotherapy and radiation in Kingston. In early 2015 he had an experimental treatment but I don't remember what it was. My sister was the secretary; she kept track of everything.”

Over a year after her father's death, Janice is still dealing with his absence. “He was always the go-to guy, for all of us. Whenever we needed advice, or someone to come with us, to look for a car or anything, really, he was the one we went to for support,” she said.

When Alvin Conway died, Janice's mother Caren lost her husband of almost 47 years, and also a supportive partner, and the entire family is dealing with the loss, each in their own way.

“I still feel exhausted by it,” said Janice, who also has two uncles that are being treated for cancer.

Her commitment to the Relay for Life has not waned throughout the past two years, and although she may not register for the entire day this year, she will be there, with her mother, to light some luminaria candles with her mother, and to help her friends.

“We need to support the teams who come together to do the relay and support the fund-raising events that each team organizes before the relay,” she said.

For further information about the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, contact Christine Teal 613-375-6525, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Chair Vicki Babcock at 613-449-8834.

Dan Milton, 1974-2016

When a car crossed two lanes on Highway 417 near Arnprior last Monday and hit two road workers, it killed one of them, Dan Milton, and in doing so tore at the heart of a family and a community.

The funeral for Dan Milton, which was held at Milestone Funeral Home in Northbrook on April 30, was unorthodox to say the least, as his neighbour delivered a eulogy that was all about giving shouts out to all of Dan’s friends and family in the way that he would have done.

The picture of Dan Milton that emerged was that of a giant of a man with a big heart and a tendency towards playful mischief. This came at the expense, most often, of those he loved most.

The road crew that he worked with every day was there in full force, and while they are all hard and tough men in the work place, the tears flowed freely from them all afternoon, as freely as the Coors Lite that Dan loved so much.

Reverend Kellar had to share the front of the chapel with some of that Coors Lite, but he did not seem to mind, remarking that this was one of the funerals he has officiated at for people he did not know, but which leave him thinking, “I really wish I could have known that person.”

Dan Milton's, wife, Debara Leary-Milton, was 20 years older than him, but the age gap never affected their marriage, and Dan was a well-loved step-father and friend to Wayne, Jaycen, and Angel. Angel spoke briefly at the funeral, saying how much she appreciated everything that Dan had been for herself and her mother.

While the mood at the funeral was as irreverent and full of jokes as Dan Milton had been, the sense of loss was palpable.

For this community to lose Daniel Milton, a still young man who packed his large lunch and headed to work that morning just as he did every Monday morning, is hard to process and will continue to be hard to accept for months and years to come.

It's not that easy to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which is a bucket list event for many long-distance runners. Patricia Humphrey, a 66-year-old marathoner who has lived on Long Lake between Parham and Mountain Grove for the past three years, qualified for this year’s event based on her time at the Philadelphia Marathon in November of 2014.

She had already run the Boston Marathon before, five years ago, and when she qualified for this year's race, which took place on April 18, she thought it might be her last marathon and she wanted to go out in a good time.

She ran the 42-kilometre course, complete with the four Newton's Hills that culminate with the aptly named Heartbreak Hill, in 4:39.05.

The time is significant because it is 55 seconds faster than the qualifying time for her age group for next year's race, and that might prove to be a temptation.

Humphrey’s running career began 16 years ago, when she was only 50. Her mother had recently died of cancer, and Patricia decided to take up running in order to complete a 5 km cancer run later that year. She took to the sport and began increasing the length of her runs over time, finally building up to the marathon distance.

According to her husband and chief supporter, Colin, Patricia plans to stick to the half marathon distance from here on mainly because the preparation for a marathon is so onerous and time consuming.

She was a common sight this winter on Long Lake Road and Road 38 training for this year's event.

“She wanted to make a good time in case it was her last marathon, that's for sure,” said Colin, when contacted by phone early this week. “She was pushing her speed at the end to make sure she beat the 4:40 qualification time.”

Patricia has retired from working at FW Black's Appliances in Kingston, where Colin is a co-owner. They intend to remain in the area for years to come, as they enjoy living on Long Lake.

“We love it here. We never plan on moving again,” said Colin.