Camp offers new hope for Aaron Lillie
By Matthew Sitler On the Thanksgiving weekend the
When Aaron Lillie attends Project community got together once again,
Walk this month, he’ll be entering a this time at Muskoka Highlands Golf
world of new rehabilitative possibili- Course for a charity golf tournament.
ties. The event was a fundraiser to send Lil-
The 21-year-old Bracebridge resi- lie to Project Walk. Attending the reha-
dent, who was paralysed from the chest bilitation camp will cost about
down in a diving accident last year, $15,000.
hopes the rehabilitative camp in Cali- It’s this kind of community spirit,
fornia will help him become more along with the enduring love and sup-
physically independent. port he receives from his parents, Kevin
“Anything that will give me inde- and Shawn, and his siblings, Thomas
pendence is what I am looking for,” he and Zach, which helps Lillie recover.
says. “Whether I regain feeling or As of late, he says he is feeling in
regain movement or learn new ways of higher spirits.
doing things in a wheelchair. Anything “I’m back to normal,” he says.
to make my quality of life better.” “There’s so many complications that go
Project Walk is an exercise-based along with having a spinal cord injury
recovery program that aims to stimu- that a lot of people don’t know about.
late the nervous system through a vari- It’s not as simple as you can’t walk.
ety of different modalities. There’s dizziness and so many things
“The general idea is that within the that go along with it. Now that I’m
first two years of a spinal cord injury is back into better health, I can focus on
when you can achieve the most recov- other things.”
ery, so I’m trying to do as much as I can Next September, Lillie plans to
now while it’s important,” he says. resume his studies at the University of
Lillie broke his C-4-6 vertebrae in Western Ontario. He has already com-
the diving accident that took place in
aph: Matthew Sitler
pleted his first year in business manage-
ogr
the early hours of Aug. 4 last year. ment and organizational studies.
Phot
“I broke my neck diving at Taboo In the meantime, Lillie is focused on
Resort,” says Lillie. “I was there with
The Lillie family outside their Bracebridge home. Kevin Lillie, Aaron, Shawn
Project Walk, which he will attend in
friends and dove in and hit bottom.” and Aaron’s brother Zach. Kevin is travelling to Project Walk with Aaron. early November. His father plans to
He spent the first five months fol- stay with him for the five-week dura-
lowing the accident at the Lyndhurst new bathroom, conducive to his needs, way by raising funds over the past tion.
Rehab Centre in Toronto, where he was has also been built by his father, Kevin. year. “It’s a trial visit to see how good it is
recently re-admitted for further reha- The family has shouldered the finan- In fact, close to $100,000 has been and if I like it, then the plan is to go
bilitation. cial burden for the addition and home raised throughout the community to back a bit longer,” says Lillie.
His family, with help from the com- retrofits, although much donated time help Lillie on his road to recovery. He has high hopes of what’s to come
munity, has been able to build an addi- and goods from those in the communi- Some of this money has been put after speaking with someone currently
tion on their home for Lillie’s purposes. ty helped make it all happen. towards the purchase of expensive in the program.
A new elevator, for instance, aids in Lillie adds that area residents and equipment that is needed to keep his “I won’t know until I go, but by the
his ability to get from floor to floor. A groups have really helped in another body in shape. sounds of it it’s great,” he says.
Author offers insight on parenting
By Sandy Lockhart personality and your tolerances and talks about being available for your problem.
Parenting can be a guessing game, then look at your children’s personali- kids when they need you. “It can be really ugly to bring change
but Graham Hookey, the head of ties and find something for your fami- “Sometimes your kids need you for into a teen’s life,” he stresses.
school at Rosseau Lake College, hopes ly,” he says. just one minute a day,” he suggests. Hookey and his wife Donna, have
to take the mystery out of raising a He has two main suggestions for “Are you available for that one three boys, who are now all in univer-
family by offering advice and practical parents: minute?” sity. In 1997, Hookey self-published a
suggestions at information nights in “The heart and soul of parenting is Parents also need to teach children book entitled Parenting is a Team Sport,
Muskoka. to not think of the present problem the balance. You want to be accessible in which he emphasized the impor-
“Kids don’t come with an instruc- but instead look at the future role. to your kids when they need you but tance of parents forming a network of
tion manual. I searched through the What do I need to do today to get my you also have to teach them not to call support to assist in raising children.
placenta and didn’t find it,” he says. kids there for tomorrow,” he explains. you out of an important meeting for “a He has been in education, both in
Hookey, who has led parenting sem- “Don’t react. Planning is required of piece of fluff.” public and independent schools, for 29
inars, courses and retreats and has been parenting. Don’t just go by the seat of Hookey likes to ask parents, “If you years.
writing a weekly parenting column for your pants.” lived in a nice neighbourhood with Hookey will be presenting a second
24 years, held the first of the evening Secondly, he says, “Talk to others. some seedy homes in back, would you session of This isn’t Your Mother’s
events on Oct. 28 in Huntsville. You need to understand that you are leave your back door open? A comput- Generation at the Bracebridge Sport-
The message he is trying to get not on an island. Don’t be afraid to er in a kid’s room leaves the door to the splex on Nov. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30
across to parents is that goals need to talk to others parents, teachers, and seedy neighbourhood wide open.” p.m.
be established not only for the family counsellors and attend many different He says that planning the rules It is a free informative evening for
as a whole, but also the children. parent presentations. Parents need to ahead of time makes life simpler. It is parents with children of all ages.
And Hookey believes what works for come out and pick up a lot of different much easier to limit something, like “I will talk for about 45 minutes and
one family does not always work for ideas. Just one thing can make a differ- television, when children are young then answer questions. There will be
another. ence.” instead of waiting to set rules when stories, ideas and some humour,” says
“You need to look at yourself, your With today’s busy families, Hookey they are older and it has become a Hookey.
34 November 2008 www.whatsupmuskoka.com
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