Calendar Girl Blog: An Update

Dear friends of Sue,

As Sue will describe below, she still does not have a firm diagnosis. Her illness may be Parkinson's; it may not. In any case, it will likely be a long slog until she reaches some form of equilibrium and wellness. She is nevertheless quite upbeat and determined.

Your extremely generous donations have helped her immensely. She still has no source of income aside from ads from blogs (see below). So, if you can help her out again, she would very much appreciate it. As you likely know, healing can be expensive -- and a lot of what is necessary does not fall into the narrow-minded confines of what is covered by OHIP.

Again, cheques payable to Sue Richards can be dropped off to Wild Rose, 23A Macdonell St., Downtown Guelph or sent to Sue Richards, 207 Liverpool Street, Guelph N1H 2L6.

You can also donate by credit card or Paypal. Go to www.paypal.ca . Click on "send money." On the "to" line, type in Sue's email, artjam@artjam.org . The rest is straightforward.

This looks like it will be a long journey. Sue can make it with our support.

Best,

Gareth Lind
Lind Design

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Please feel free to pass this on....

Greetings From The Red Squirrel and Mold-free House of Healing,

Thanks to the efforts of a fine battalion of warrior friends and a bit of time, my home is no longer occupied by vermin of any size, shape or description. The effort was heroic and took a full month to execute. I will admit that ‘selling the joint’ was a regular thought – especially when a full two weeks into my evacuation, I met a third red squirrel casually hanging out on my couch. It took several days for Trapper John to catch the scoundrel. A low point indeed.

During the nutty days of June, many of you generously made cash donations to my cash-strapped wellness fund. The artist’s way is rich in experience and good work but lame in the disability department. Your help bought my drugs, paid for dumpsters for my toxic basement guts and afforded Green Sweeps Cleaning to come and clean my house of squirrel droppings, fleas etc. I have also been able to cover my basic life expenses for the last 3 months. The weight of worry that this financial gesture lifted measured off the scale.

All the medical tests I’ve enjoyed this summer have determined that I am medically unremarkable – except for one. After demonstrating a series of physical motions not unlike the ones a cop would request if they thought you were drunk, the neurologist suggested Parkinson’s. Other opinions from my diverse health team agree that my symptomology has Parkinson’s like appearance but instead believe that my nervous system is being compromised by fungus, mercury and aluminum. My appointment with allergist Lori Bowman uncovered a zinc allergy/deficiency and high levels of both mercury and aluminum. I’ve researched all these causes in relation to my symptoms and, sure enough, they link. As you might expect, I’m keen to explore all avenues that might be causing my health problems before I assign myself a life long label like Parkinson’s.

Just as Guelph City Hall wasn’t built in a day, the detoxifying process takes time and attention. I completed the anti-fungal in August and have presently taken on the task of strip mining my body of heavy metals – another multi-month drug protocol that includes a mineral replacement protocol too.

The Guelph Mercury provided some media coverage in August. I was appreciative. But I hid for several days following publication. As kind as everyone is, for many reasons, I do find it hard to be public right now. You can read what the Merc wrote here and here.

To sum up, I believe I’m on the right path and my intention is to stay 100% focused on detoxing and getting well. My motor movements are still very dysfunctional but I sense small improvements. I type with one hand – slowly – and my walking style varies from weird to somewhat odd. But I am doing a couple hours of blogging on www.blogguelph.com each week and I’m presently looking for advertisers to help augment my income. If you know of anyone that wants to advertise on-line, let me know. Blog Guelph gets loads of traffic.

Should you want to round out your collection of Breast of Canada calendars, I’ve put the entire archive up on my website: Click on this link.

Thank you for your well wishes and prayers. Please continue.

Love from Calendar Girl

Calendar Girl Blog: Breast of Canada Has Served Us Well

August 20, 2007
GUELPH MERCURY Editorial

It's no surprise that news of Sue Richards' illness has provoked a bevy of emotions, from alarm and sadness to heartfelt prayers. When you've accomplished something as important and special as Richards has, such a response is well-deserved.

The Guelph woman's name is linked in the public's mind with the Breast of Canada calendar, which after weathering initial controversy and a rocky start its first year, has become a vital instrument in the promotion of women's breast health.

It's sad, then, that there won't be a 2008 edition, but not nearly as sad as the reason for that -- the Parkinson's-like neurological disorder that has made it impossible for the calendar's creator to produce a new edition. The strain alone of readying 3,000 calendars for shipment through the mail would be overwhelming.

There has never been any overt nudity in the pictures, but just the idea of a calendar featuring female breasts was at first provocative. Viewers of the 2003 British film "Calendar Girls," about a similar venture in England, will know all about that.

But the photos are just part of the project. Central to the calendar are instructions on the importance of breast self-examination and other breast health information, and the fact that photo submissions for the calendars have come from across Canada are a testament to this project's reach. With a share of the proceeds going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Network, the venture has been not only educational but philanthropic.

That's why we hope there is a way in the future for this very worthwhile initiative to continue.

We're very mindful that for Sue Richards, this has been very much an artful work of love that bears a very personal stamp for her. But it has touched so many people, it would be tragic to lose the calendar permanently, We believe the spirit of Richards' dream can be maintained if willing hands come forth to help keep the Breast of Canada calendars going. It's great to see that financial aid has already been offered.

We wish Sue Richards good health and hope that some way, we'll see a 2009 edition of her calendar and her in good health to enjoy it.

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If you are interested in purchasing back issues of Breast of Canada - circa 2002 - 2007 - please check out our shopping cart.

And, keep abreast of Guelph's cultural creative's at Blog Guelph - The Photo Blog With Attitude