Lights of Life rally planned
Photo courtesy of The Aroostook Medical Center
A SURPRISED NINE-YEAR-OLD Hadley McLean of Presque Isle, along with her parents Tim and Holly McLean, join TAMC President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Getman, right, in unveiling Hadley’s feature profile as the December 2012 County Cancer Hall of Courage honoree at an open house at TAMC’s North Street Health Care Facility just prior to the annual Presque Isle Holiday Light Parade Dec. 1.
The McLean family will be on hand, along with the large poster featuring Hadley’s photo and personal story, this Saturday, Dec. 15 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the MPG ACE Hardware/Farm Store for a Wrap It Up Rally for Hope to benefit the Lights of Life project.
PRESQUE ISLE — A county-wide effort to support cancer care services for Aroostook residents, held each year around the holiday season, will mark its mid-point with a special event Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Star City.
The Lights of Life project, a partnership of The Aroostook Medical Center and Maine Potato Growers, will hold a Wrap It Up Rally for Hope from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the MPG ACE Hardware/Farm Store on Parsons Street. The event will coincide with MPG’s annual Wrap It Up holiday promotion.
TAMC and MPG employees will be on hand for the rally to collect monetary donations, which are designated this year to support the purchase of new patient treatment chairs at TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care. Joining them will be Miss Maine Princess Hadley McLean, who was named by TAMC as the December County Cancer Hall of Courage honoree, and who was selected as this year’s official Lights of Life spokesperson. The framed, large-print poster, which now hangs in the County Cancer Hall of Courage at TAMC, featuring McLean’s photo and courageous story, will be on-site during the rally for community members to see.
“This will be a wonderful opportunity for us to give another push for contributions and to encourage folks to help us raise funds for such a worthwhile cause,” said Bobbie-Jo Caron, TAMC advancement specialist and project lead. “The fund-raising campaign runs through Dec. 31, so we will be at the mid-point this weekend. We hope the community will help us meet our goal so that we can purchase much needed new treatment chairs for Aroostook Cancer Care that will be utilized by patients from throughout the county for treatment.”
TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care, located in the East Wing Annex Building at the A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle, sees on average 60 patients a week. Many of the patients spend as many as eight hours at a time sitting in the chairs while receiving life-saving chemotherapy treatment.
“Patients frequently spend several hours per day sitting in the treatment chairs and many do this several times per week. While receiving treatment patients often eat lunch and nap. The chairs we currently utilize are older — and after many years of use — are becoming less comfortable for our patients,” said Brenda Baker, manager of TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care. “Our patients’ comfort and safety are of utmost importance to us and replacement of some of our older chairs would assist us in ensuring that our patients are comfortable during their stay with us.”
For the first time since the Lights of Life project was initiated four years ago, there are two decorative trees this season. One, which was officially lit by McLean during Presque Isle’s annual Holiday Light Parade Dec. 1, is located on Main Street in front of MPG Truck and Tractor.
The other, located at the MPG ACE Hardware/Farm Store on Parsons Street, will receive its own special attention as McLean will light the star atop the 20-foot tree at the Dec. 15 event. Inside the Farm Store is a tree with a chain-link holiday garland with the names of individuals who have been memorialized or honored by donors to date.
The Lights of Life project invites those who donate to do so in honor of living loved ones or in memory of one or more persons who have passed away. Different levels of giving such as single light, ribbon, ornament, strand of lights, and constellation provide those who contribute the opportunity to honor or memorialize those who have impacted their lives on the tree.
“It is such a heartwarming and worthwhile project, and so meaningful for our community to be able to support such an important cause,” said Sharon Daigle-Gerrish, manager of the MPG ACE Hardware/Farm Store. “We are so pleased to partner with TAMC to make this happen. We are more successful in raising funds with each year that passes, which shows both a growing need and increased awareness for the cancer care services we are so fortunate to have offered locally. We are also blessed to have Hadley McLean on board as our spokesperson this year. She is a true inspiration.”
McLean of Presque Isle is a courageous brain cancer survivor who touched the hearts of area residents last winter when she turned her birthday party into a community event to raise funds for other youth fighting the disease.
Donations to the 2012 Lights of Life project can be made at the rally this weekend, between now and Dec. 31 at the MPG ACE Hardware/Farm Store, or online at www.tamc.org. Beautifully designed Lights of Life cards are given to all donors who give in person at MPG to send to family and friends. For more information on Lights of Life, contact TAMC at 768-4858.
