At this year’s annual Youth for Christ (YFC) Westlock fundraising banquet held in Westlock Feb. 19, the story told by one little 10-year-old girl pretty well set the tone for an evening of generosity.
That little girl was Rachelle Zadunayski, youngest daughter of Karen and Mike Zadunayski of Vimy, who last summer was diagnosed with a rare arachnoid cyst in the frontal lobe of her brain.
It took 18 days of agony for this little girl last August, following what was proved to be a burst cyst on her brain before surgery to remove 450 millilitres of contaminated cerebral fluid that had built up was performed at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.
Four days later, with the pressure back, another more invasive four-hour surgery was done, where surgeons lifted the right side of her skull and created a canal for the cyst and inserted a shunt for future use if needed.
Although her head has healed, Karen says she still has a long road ahead as she struggles with frustration, personality and learning issues, since the surgery was in her right temporal lobe.
“We see how fantastic their whole staff (at the Stollery) has been and carried us through this whole thing — it’s a real eye opener.”
From the excellent treatment she received, Rachelle wanted to help the Stollery in return. This summer, the Stollery 4D Neuro unit is holding its first annual Camp Neurosurgery at Camp He Ho Ha on Lake Isle west of Edmonton.
The camp, to be held at the beginning of July, will provide an opportunity for kids to meet other kids who have gone through battles similar to her own. Already a talented young artist, she decided to sell some of her paintings to help under-privileged kids go to this camp.
At the YFC banquet, Rachelle matter-of-fact described her ordeal, and her goal of selling her paintings to send kids to this special camp.
Not only did YFC director Ben Kellert have Rachelle tell her story to those in attendance, he also offered one of her paintings for sale by live auction.
Her story had obviously touched the hearts of many, and the painting sold for $1,400, purchased by Westlock’s Alan O’Brien. Neil and Rosemary Kennett of Highway 44 Trailer Sales, who had already donated a small garden trailer to the YFC live auction, quickly offered one more for Rachelle’s quest. That added another $400 to her cause.
Karen says her daughter has been painting for about a year and a half, but she hasn’t been able to paint quite the same since the surgery.
But, she adds, “It’s been a good, positive way for her to put all of her frustration into something good like this.”
What did Rachelle think when her painting sold so well?
“She was absolutely overwhelmed,” Karen says. “When we were coming into the banquet that night, she told me, ‘I don’t know why we’re going, I’m not going to get anymore than $20 for my painting.’ That was a real good turnaround for her”
Rachelle has also been named this year’s Edmonton Northlands “Make a Wish” media child for this year, Karen says. Northlands are sponsoring a week long trip to Maui, along with her parents and three older sisters.
“They’ve come on board this year with “Make A Wish for the first time,” she says, and of the trip adds,“It’ll be a good get away, that’s for sure.”
March 4 and 5 she will do a big media thing with Northlands at a show there.
All last week, several of her paintings were on display at The Flower Shoppe on Main Street in Westlock along with some other donated paintings for silent auction — with the funds all going towards Rachelle’s goal of sending kids to Camp Neurosurgery this summer.
To give people an opportunity to purchase one of Rachelle’s paintings and to help more kids go to the camp, the silent auction sale has been extended to all of this week as well. All purchases will be given a tax receipt from the Stollery Pediatric.
And here’s a suggestion. Purchase one of these paintings and hang it in a prominent place in your home.
Each time you look at it, it will help remind you of the brave little girl who painted it, and help you realize that often we complain of the littlest things in our lives, when there are others around us who have greater concerns than we do.
