Table hockey tourney backs rare illness cause
When Maggie Kloosterman’s daughter was diagnosed four months ago with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome she refused to accept there is no cure for the potentially fatal disorder.
There are six forms of EhlersDanlos and her daughter DanaMarie Doherty, a 34-year-old mother of three, has Type 4 vascular, the most serious. Most people with her type don’t live past 40, said Kloosterman. The syndrome is a connective tissue disorder caused by alterations to the collagen protein, the body’s glue, as Kloosterman calls it. It affects one in 250,000 Canadians.
Maggie’s husband Sid Kloosterman is using his passion for table hockey to join forces with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes for two fundraising and awareness activities this week.
During the Petes Maroon and White training camp scrimmage at 6 p.m. Friday at the Memorial Centre the Kloostermans will be selling raffle tickets in the lobby. They will also be taking registration for a Peterborough Table Hockey Association tournament Saturday in the Pat Casey Alumni Room starting at 10 a.m.
When Maggie Kloosterman heard the diagnosis and that there is no cure she said her mother bear instincts kicked in.
“I don’t accept that there is no cure. They just haven’t found it, yet, and I think they will,” she said.
Unexplained bleeding, bruising and brittle bones led Doherty to consult doctors.
“She went through four years of testing in Kingston and Toronto,” Maggie said. “We’re trying to change that, too, because four years is too long.”
Looking back on Dana-Marie’s childhood, Maggie said the diagnosis explains a lot.
“When she would grab her rollerblades I’d panic knowing she would come home with something broken,” Maggie said. “We didn’t know about it back then.”
The ILC (Individuals Living with Chronic Illness) Foundation is raising funds not only for research but to build a facility where patients can receive specialized treatment. Doherty is on vitamin therapy and weekly B12 injections to alleviate symptoms.
The tournament is open to anyone who wants to participate regardless of experience or ability. The entry fee is $40 for adults and $10 for children. Participants will receive a T-shirt, while supplies last, donated by former Pete and Toronto Maple Leaf Tom Fergus who Sid built a table hockey game for, and lunch and beverages donated by Little Caesars. To register visit www.theilcfoundation.org/events/ or email sidkloosterman@hotmail.com.
There are 23 raffle items so far including an Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, a Morgan Reilly signed photo, a Petes signed stick, socks and insoles made from alpaca fur, steaks donated by Sysco Foods and gift certificates to Wild Wings, Ricky’s All Day Grill, Marty Moos and Pizza Hut, among other items. The draw will be held Saturday.