Cookie walk in Ripley to support Lyme Aid for Dave
A cookie walk is being held at the Ripley-Huron Community Centre tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 3), from 10 a.m. to Noon, in support of the Lyme Aid for Dave campaign.
Dave Underwood of Kincardine suffers from Lyme Disease and has undergone costly treatment in the United States. As he continues to recover, he and his wife, Katie, and their family and friends, are holding fund-raisers to assist with the ongoing expenses.
At the cookie walk, you can hand-pick your own selection of delicious, home-baked treats from hundreds of festive cookies, squares, tarts, and more, for $7 per pound.
If you can't make it to Ripley tomorrow, a second cookie walk will be held Saturday, Dec. 10, also from 10 a.m. to Noon, at the Lighthouse Fellowship Baptist Church in Kincardine.
All proceeds go toward the medical expenses for Underwood’s late-stage Lyme disease treatment. For more information, check out
www.facebook.com/lymeaidfordave or
www.youcaring.com/daveunderwood.
Meanwhile, other groups and organizations continue to assist Underwood. The senior ladies' baseball team, "Scared Hitless," held a yard sale July 2, and donated the proceeds to Lyme Aid for Dave.
The Sacred Hitless senior ladies baseball team presents $500 to the Underwoods; in the back, are Cheryl Munro (left), Debbie Smith, Barb Reid, Sharon Rider, Nicole Whitwell, Marg VanderVaart, Sue Zettler, Gayle Jamieson; and in front, are Elly Jantzen (left), Suzanne Lepine, Pat Stewart, Katie and Dave Underwood, Wendy Jones, and Liz Nurton; photo courtesy of the senior ladies baseball team
In an update, posted Oct. 16, Katie Underwood noted that she and Dave had arrived home from Florida (where he had undergone treatment) in July, and by the fall, he was having difficulty bouncing back from the initial shock of going from receiving several IV infusions at the clinic every day to receiving none at home.
"Hoping to ease this transition as much as we could, we found a wonderful naturopath in St. Catharines who is right on track with all of (Florida Lyme disease specialist) Dr. Sponaugle’s research and has been able to continue some of the same treatments Dave was receiving in Florida at her clinic, which has been amazing. We continue to look for options that are less expensive and closer to home."
She said Dave still experiences quite a bit of fatigue, as his adrenals seem to be completely worn out from this whole process. He is working to gain back some of the muscle weight he lost during his illness and to build up more strength in his body, though it’s a long, slow process as his muscles take a very long time to repair and he’s still not able to get all the nutrients he needs because of his persistent digestive issues.
"But we continue to notice improvements in many areas, like his endurance and his ability to track with, and respond to, conversations. Dave has been able to get out of the house more often and be more social, one area of many in his life that his struggle with Lyme had greatly affected for the worse before treatment."
He needs to repeat the round of testing that he had done in the summer so that he can really know where he’s at in his recovery process and which supplements he needs to continue or drop.
"At this point, we are running out of the supply of supplements that we brought with us from Florida and we don’t have enough funds to replace them or to complete this testing, which costs just over $1,000 (Canadian). The purpose of this fund-raising campaign is to cover the cost of Dave’s treatment in Florida, but there are still ongoing expenses involved in his care and recovery that we’re struggling to manage.
"We so look forward to the day on the other side of all this, when we can be financially-independent and not be a burden on our friends, family, and community, though incredibly everyone has been so gracious and has never made us feel like a burden. Even so, we can’t wait until we’re in a position to be able to give back, but right now, we continue to need support."
After a hiatus over the summer, the Lyme Aid for Dave fund-raising team is back at it and has planned several events, including the two cookie walks in December.
"While our projected expenses when we began this fund-raising campaign were $85,000 (U.S.), Dave’s 16 weeks of treatment in Florida ended up coming to a total of $90,888 (U.S.), so our new fund-raising goal reflects that change.
"Sobeys Kincardine continues to graciously partner with us in this endeavour, and we can’t thank the owners enough! They donated food and allowed us to host a barbecue at their store where we had the chance to chat with many people about Dave’s story and Lyme disease in Canada, and even meet several locals struggling with Lyme themselves. Thanks to the generosity of Sobeys and our community, we raised just over $1,000!"
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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