Giving back …

Giving Back. It’s what we should all do more of but so often, in our hectic lives, we forget how important it is. Thankfully, Cornwall is an amazing community who makes giving back and helping each other so easy. This summer, The 1st Annual Alice Ferguson Memorial Golf Tournament is set to take place Sunday, July 10th at the Cornwall Golf & Country Club and with support overwhelmingly pouring in I couldn’t be more grateful.

All of the proceeds raised will be going to the Trillium Gift of Life Network. I’m sure many people aren’t familiar with this organization and what it is or does and to be honest, I had no clue either until a few years ago. Until my Mom was suddenly diagnosed with a disease called Pulmonary Fibrosis requiring her to get a double lung transplant. The disease isn’t hereditary, there are no pre-cursors, and doctors are still stumped as to what causes it. There weren’t many answers for our family when my Mom found out how serious this disease is but what we did learn a lot about was organ donation.

The Trillium Gift of Life Network educates the public about organ donation and supports those people and their family members who are waiting on the transplant list. In light of being honest, I can tell you that before my Mom got sick, I never thought much about organ donation. It kind of weirded me out and I didn’t like to think about it. I wasn’t educated enough about it to really feel like it would affect me and the thought of my organs in someone else was too morbid for me to open up to. But then, I was forced to see the world in a whole new light and I began to understand how important being an organ donor is. I began to learn than one person can save up to 8 lives and my Mom was one of them.

In May of 2014, my Mom underwent a successful double lung transplant at The Toronto General Hospital. She worked hard to be accepted onto the transplant list and waited for a year before a healthy match saved her life. She loved her new lungs so much and our family was so grateful to the anonymous donor who blessed my Mom with the ability to breathe again. Without that donor, I may not have gotten the extra 17 months I did with my wonderful mother.

Sadly, my Mom passed away at the end of October 2015. Her lungs became infected while in the hospital and her body wasn’t able to fight it any longer. She was a fighter and she was always so kind. She also loved to golf and was a pillar in the Cornwall community for many years. So, this tournament will take place tohonour her life and to raise money for an amazing cause that she supported so much. It is taking place on what would have been her 65th birthday and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate her life than with a city coming together in her honour.

There are already so many amazing sponsors on board including Boston Pizza, Dairy Queen, Nautica Grill & Wine, Best Western, Spinal Care Plus, The Cornwall Square, Seaway GM, Hyundai, VitalGlow Medical Aesthetics, Pommier Jewellers, Deke and Squeaks, Rurban, Beau’s, Molson, 8th on Second, and Scotiabank. As we work together towards raising money for organ donation support, I invite you to play in the tournament as well. With Door Prizes, a Silent Auction, Dinner, Entertainment, and so much more you can be sure you’ll be having fun knowing you’re supporting a worthwhile cause.

We are still accepting players (singles, doubles, and foursomes) and tickets are $100 for golf and dinner, or $40 for dinner only. Hole sponsors are also still welcome and only require a prize donation. Also, if you or someone you know would like to volunteer on the day of, please reach out. For tickets, sponsorship inquiries, or volunteer opportunities you can email [email protected] or call 613-361-1229. There is also a Facebook event pages and tickets available online at Eventbrite.

There is no other place in the world I would rather hold this Golf Tournament than right here in Cornwall, where the community truly rallies around their own and where a hard-working, single mother can be remembered for all that she did and all that she was while we support an organization that was so close to her heart.

I am sincerely looking forward to this tournament and even if you cannot attend, please consider becoming a donor and extending a life at www.beadonor.ca Giving back is so important within our community and organ donation allows us to give back even after we are gone. There is truly nothing better than the Gift of Life.