Meridian Source - March 31, 2022

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Thursday, March 31, 2022

MERIDIANSOURCE.CA

VOLUME 4 I ISSUE 40

Lighting the night purple TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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Whether you’re walking, riding a bike, or volunteering, the support goes a long way. It was a sea of purple last Saturday night at Bud Miller All Seasons Park as Lloydminster and area residents took part in the second annual Epilepsy awareness walk. The walk, which was scheduled in conjunction with national Epilepsy Awareness Day, not only shed some light on the deadly brain disorder but also honoured the memory of Shauna Hurley, who passed away on Oct. 27, 2020, at the age of 23. “My daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 12,” said Shauna’s mom, Tina. “She lived a normal life straight through, but on Oct. 27, 2020, she passed away in Saska to o n from w h a t is called SUDEP (sudden, unexpected death of someone with epilepsy). Only one in 1,000 people pass away from SUDEP. “We didn’t expect it. She lived a normal life,”

said Tina, adding the fact her late daughter was a competitive figure skater. “She had this disability for quite some time but kept it pretty quiet because she didn’t want to be labelled as someone with a disability.” A year after Shauna’s passing, Tina, with the help of her husband, Shawn, decided to do a Shauna Hurley memorial walk at Bud Miller. Although it was only supposed to be friends and family, Tina explained roughly 80 people showed up at the park to show their support. “I also did some research and wanted to know how I could get more involved,” she said. “This year I wanted to do more of an awareness walk, so I contacted the Edmonton Epilepsy Association, as well as Calgary, and they were able to answer the questions I had about hosting an awareness walk. “Last year was more of a memorial for her, and with the walk this year, we are also try-

Blazers on a Good Deeds rush GEOFF LEE

WRITER

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Taylor Weaver Meridian Source

For Tina and Shawn Hurley (centre), the show of support at Saturday’s Epilepsy Awareness Walk, in honour of the memory of their daughter Shauna, had them beaming with pride.

ing to start a Lloydminster Epilepsy Association, which would cover Lloydminster and surrounding area.” Of course, losing a child is never easy, but like many others who have felt that pain, Tina and the rest of her family are doing what they can so other families don’t have to live through it. “Since I started this journey I have had so many people come up to me and tell me about a family member of theirs who has been diagnosed with epilepsy,” she said. “It’s unbelievable

how common a disease it is, and it’s one that has been swept under the rug for too long. People need to be aware that this is real and this can happen,” she added. “We never knew. As parents, having a child with a disability was devastating, and now, we need to carry her legacy on and help other families out, so this is what we do.” Hurley explained how everybody can have one seizure, but if one person has two seizures, they’re diagnosed with epilepsy. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

The Lloydminster Blazers Female U13 Team 3 is on a public relations tear to win this year’s Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup and $100,000 towards inclusive hockey. Stacey Brown-Rousson and her husband, Paul, helped their daughter Lily and her Blazers teammate, Ella Wutzke, campaign for votes during a presentation at the Rotary Club of Lloydminster’s Monday lunch. The U13 team Alberta team is hoping to get the most votes in Canada by April 2 to claim the cup and the donation for Inclusion Lloydminster, their charity of choice. The Blazer’s goal is for the city to build the new Lloydminster Place event centre into Canada’s first bi-provincial para ice hockey, accessible arena. “We’re very excited and very honoured the girls chose our organization,” said Krystal Stewart, assistant direc-

tor of Inclusion Lloydminster, who was in the audience. “Most of the money will go towards helping make the new arena inclusive and accessible to help support our recreation initiatives.” Stewart says an inclusive arena means everybody can access it and everybody can play. “It just means another way to bring our community together,” she said. The team has already won $2,000 for Inclusion Lloydminster after being selected as the Alberta representative for the cup against 11 other teams across Canada. Votes can be cast online at ChevroletGoodDeedsCup.ca. The $100,000 grand prize would go into arena features such as benches with level access to the ice for sledge hockey, including wider doors and removable benches that won’t impact able-bodied users. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2


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