Bonnie Bagnulo
NOTL Community Palliative Care
Picture this: It’s morning and she can’t get out of bed. You’ve done your best up till now to put your feelings on the shelf, you’ve tried your best not to bite through your lip since the time of the diagnosis.
Now she can’t get out of bed. You wonder “what’s next”? Your heart skips a beat while your brain is searching for something to say to offer comfort, to motivate her, to get her up.
She is weaker, thinner, slower. You ask yourself: “Where do I get help”?
This is becoming too much for both of us, physically and mentally. She needs a cane, a walker and maybe a chair to push her in.
How will we navigate these changes? How can we go on not talking about what’s clearly happening? How long DO we have?
These are the questions that people living in your backyard are asking themselves on a regular basis.
These are the questions we hope not to have to ask ever, but when we do ask them, please remember NOTL Community Palliative Care Service is here to give you answers.
We not only answer your questions, but we bring you equipment of all kinds. We can support you with the social aspects of a life-limiting diagnosis and we can help support you with professional care when that time comes, too.
Being in a home with a life-limiting or end-of-life illness does not have to be a nightmare. It doesn’t have to be so scary when you know you are not alone.
Let the health care and medical professionals provide care with the medical tasks at hand, and let our organization’s specially trained team, support you with everything else that is needed for your palliative care journey.
How can you help too?
We are seeking donors and sponsors at all levels to help us with our ongoing mission so that when the families here in Niagara-on-the-Lake turn to us, we have the resources available to help.
The annual Healing Cycle Ride for Palliative Care is one of our most important fundraisers.
This year’s ride is extra special as it is our 10th year participating in this event.
The money raised by our team of riders goes directly to NOTL Palliative Care Service to fund our programming and significant equipment needs and to keep our small but mighty service viable as the demand for our services has grown dramatically over the last 36 years.
To reach our goal of raising $25,000 in honour of our 10th year, we are hoping to secure several larger gifts this year. We are especially pleased that NOTL developer Rainer Hummel has pledged to match every donation up to $25,000.
Every dollar matters to the recipients of our services so, keep in mind, that we are happy to accept any pledge to our ride this year. We will gladly provide tax receipts for all eligible donations of $25 or more.
For more information about the Healing Cycle Ride, visit thehealingcycle.ca. Our team is called the “Pedal Pushers” and you can donate directly to our team on this website.
We would also be happy to pick up a donation from you in person.
When the families of NOTL need us, we are there to help. We hope that we can count on you to support us during our time of need. Please help us to help others.
A direct link to our team also is available. You can donate on this secure platform and keep track of our progress. Go to thehealingcycle.crowdchange.ca/10653/team/4582
Bonnie Bagnulo is executive director of the NOTL Community Palliative Care Service.
