Making change happen
Claire Ashley, who has juvenile arthritis, happy to be a fundraiser for the IWK
Claire Ashley is not your average change bandit.
She’s a Change Bandit Hero. The Northport girl, who will turn nine in November, earned the title last year while helping to raise $6,554.27 for the IWK Children’s Hospital in Halifax.
Claire, the daughter of Darren and Tasha Ashley, took it to heart when she was invited to be a change bandit for the IWK.
She attends the Maritimes’ children’s hospital four to five times a year for treatment of her juvenile arthritis.
But it’s not just about the care she receives there or how the staff makes her feel at ease or how they take such an interest in their patients and know them by name.
A lot of her drive, Claire admits, has to do with patients she’s met during her four to five hospital visits to Halifax a year, many of whom have struggles that are harsher than her own.
“It’s cool,” she said of the hospital setting. Lots of the children, she noted, have pictures up on the wall. One of her favourite pictures is of the Halifax Mooseheads.
Many of their trips during hockey season were scheduled to coincide with ‘the Herd’s’ home games. That was particularly important while her cousin, Darcy Ashley, played for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team.
On many of the trips it was just Claire and her mom. They explain how one time they were startled by a moose as they approached the Confederation Bridge while heading home from one of their IWK visits. Sometimes the trips involve the whole family and include shopping and hockey game stops.
“I don’t care for bloodwork,” she confesses, “but it’s easier there.”
Her feet, ankles and knees swell up and sometimes she can’t walk. She had to give up figure skating because the cold and juvenile arthritis just didn’t seem to mix. She swims and takes gymnastics to keep her core strong.
The hospital staff trained her mom to administer needles three times a week to keep her condition in check.
She giggles as she describes how her mother started out practicing on oranges and how she got squirted in the face by the orange juice while doing it.
Claire admits the practice sessions didn’t fill her with confidence. Now, though, she’s quite accepting of the care mom provides.
As part of her campaign, Claire, then in Grade 3, spoke to her schoolmates about juvenile arthritis.
It was a heartfelt talk and obviously quite convincing. Change poured in and, when it was all counted, St. Louis Elementary had raised close to $1,500 for her special cause.
She’s also helped pack groceries and sought donations in support of the cause.
The 2013 Change Bandit Hero for the IWK is continuing to raise money for the kid-friendly hospital and will be making a contribution during the third annual IWK Radiothon which will air today on 95.1FM CFCY.
It’s the first time a radiothon for the IWK is being held in the fall. It airs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and donations can be made by phone or in person at the Charlottetown Mall.