Community rallies around teen
Kenner Collegiate student recovering after tumour removed from pituitary gland
Rick Dolishny is overwhelmed by the support his family has received since his daughter was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto last week.
Melissa Dolishny, 16, is now in recovery at Toronto Western Hospital. Doctors spent 11 hours removing a three-centimetre tumour from her pituitary gland Tuesday.
She’s doing well, Rick said, and was even able to video-call her dad Wednesday while he was back in Peterborough to take care of a few things.
And as he was running errands, Rick was offered kind words, again and again.
“People are stopping me on the street, people I don’t even know,” he said.
A family friend setup a GoFundMe account for the Dolishny family Tuesday to help Rick and his wife Susan be able to spend as much time at Melissa’s bedside as possible.
The campaign has garnered more than $6,355 in 24 hours. “The Peterborough community has really, once again, impressed me with the generosity that I’ve witnessed,” said Rick.
Melissa, a Kenner Collegiate student, started experiencing blurred vision and nausea about a few months ago. She’d already been suffering from migraines for years.
A trip to an eye doctor on Jan. 23 led to a visit to Peterborough Regional Health Centre the next day. That afternoon, Melissa was at Sick Kids hospital.
Though the tumour wasn’t cancerous, tests still need to be done to determine what type of tumour it is to figure out what kind of rehab and therapy Melissa will need.
And now that the tumour has been removed, doctors are hopeful that her vision will come back, Rick said. Melissa went blind in one eye and had reduced vision in the other.
Rick is optimistic they’ll be able to bring their daughter home soon.
In the meantime, as someone who’s actively involved in community organizations and local fundraising initiatives, Rick said it’s a positive and warm feeling to be on the receiving end of the community’s generosity.
“I’m very honoured to be a part of this community,” he said.
NOTE: Melissa Dolishny’s GoFundMe campaign can be found online at www.gofundme.com/melissa-dolishny.