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10/06/2008
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It could
happen to you...
Whistler Health Centre CT Scanner Fundraiser
Friday May 11, Cut Yer Bars Crit & Biker Bingo Party/Samurai Slideshow
@ Dusty’s $15 |
Friends and Riders and Potential Head Injury Victims!!
I had never given much thought to the Whistler Health Centre’s lack of
a CT Scanner, I guess in the back of my mind I found it strange that a community
with so many skiing and biking related head injuries didn’t have one,
but I can’t say it ever really bothered me. Like many other things in
life, you don’t realize it’s not there until you really need it.
This past April Fools day I found myself on the receiving end of a very cruel
prank when my fork stanchions made the decision to detach themselves from the
rest of my bike. It took two long ambulance rides, from Pemberton to Whistler
and then on to North Vancouver’s Lion’s Gate Hospital to determine
that I had been dealt a skull fracture and compression fractures in three vertebrae.
I had 2 CT scans at Lion’s Gate which showed that my brain wasn’t
swelling and that operating wouldn’t be necessary. This is critical information
that needs to be diagnosed as soon as possible and I was lucky; time was on
my side. I have to wonder, will the next person be so fortunate?
My experience has made me realize how important it is that Whistler has its
own CT Scanner. With a little time on my hands, I’ve decided that now
is the perfect opportunity for us, the cycling community, to help the Whistler
Health Centre along toward their goal of raising the funds necessary to purchase
this important piece of equipment. As of the beginning of April the campaign
was approximately $100,000 dollars away from realizing that goal.
In collaboration with the Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association, I’d like
to tell you about two events which will be held on Friday May 11th, the proceeds
from which will be going to the CT Scanner Fund.
Cut Yer Bars Crit – At 5:30 on Friday afternoon we will begin sign-in
at Whistler’s Myrtle Philip Elementary School where we will hold a fun
WORCA criterion-style race. Racing will begin at 6pm and a
WORCA membership will be required to participate.
Biker Bingo & Samurai of Singletrack Slideshow – At 8pm we’ll
move things inside to Dusty’s Creekside where Tony Horn will put on a
slideshow of the infamous Samurai of Singletrack, featuring
pictures taken by racers, spectators, and pro-photographers alike. After the
slideshow things are bound to get rowdy as we break out the bingo cards for
what promises to be a season highlight. Donations are already rolling in and
so far with only 5 games planned, the prize packages look to be EPIC! To date
we’ve received a Whistler Bikepark Season Pass, a Spruce Lake Float Plane
Drop, a Banshee Scratch Frame, Chromag gear, SRAM gear, FunHog sweats and tees,
and Dropmachine.com tees. More prizes are coming in daily, and this is where
you can help! The bigger and better the prizes we receive, the more bingo cards
and raffle tickets we can sell and in turn, the more money we can raise for
the CT Scanner Fund!
We all love to ride in the Whistler Valley or in the bike park, and most of
us take for granted the fact that we usually ride without incident. The truth
is you never know when something could happen to you, or someone you care about.
Help us ensure that anyone getting hurt is going to receive the best possible
care they can.
Thank you for your generous support of this event, the community support and
care in this town is what makes it such a great place to live, lets show the
community what we as bikers can give back!
Best Regards, and I hope to see you out at the Fundraiser!
Todd Hellinga
604-905-8038
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