I, along with fishing buddy Bruce Heidman, helped host March of Dimes consumers for a fish on the shores of Ramsey Lake on June 14. My wife, Arielle Hall, was also on hand to take photos. These people have acquired brain injuries. This is the second straight year we have done this event. This event was made possible by the work done by people such as March of Dimes Canada Campaign Manager Susan Levesque and senior rehabilitation worker for March of Dimes day centre Bobbie-Lee Lavigne.
We also had tackle, gear and bait donated by Ramakko’s Source for Adventure and the Sudbury library. I want to mention, the people at Ramakko’s didn’t hesitate to help and make sure everyone was properly equipped to fish.
The morning of fishing was feel good. There were five perch caught. There were a lot of smiles, jokes and laughs. To me, it felt like any other day out fishing. This was great. Bruce and I helped tie lines, bait hooks and untangle a few reels. That is it, but we got so much.
The smiles and thanks we got from the people who attended would melt even the toughest heart.
“Everyone enjoyed themselves and we had nice weather,” Lavigne said. “We had positive feedback from the consumers last year after the first event. It inspired us to do it again. They enjoy it so much we are going to try and make it a yearly event. It is wonder to do this.”
One consumer in particular, Lisa Belanger, left an undeniable impression on me.
Belanger, 36, was in a motor vehicle collision in November 2000. She was in a coma for a year and suffered a brain stem injury. She can no longer walk and requires assistance for activities of daily living. I went to college and studied journalism with her twin sister, Lori.
At one point during the event, I came over to Lisa to help get her line untangled. We got talking. I told her I knew her sister. It hit a mark with her as her eyes lit up. We had an easy-going conversation and I felt fortunate to have that experience because Lisa has a lot of character. Lisa made sure to say good-bye to me when the fishing was over.
It was, without a doubt, my highlight of the morning.
If I left the event with one thing it is the fact I know I have more in me to give to help others. At the conclusion, I chatted with Lavigne about the outing and future possibilities. I offered to help out more in the future to get people with ABI into outdoors activities. It would be nice to get everyone out fishing a few times a year.
It was easy to see how happy it made them. We are going to look into more opportunities.