Woman who knows loss dreams of caring for others

SANTA FUND

It took a while for the darkness to catch up with Allison. Her mother tried to stave it off as long as she could, taking an endless series of odd jobs, babysitting, and even running a kind of daycare from their east- end home. Through it all, the mother of 10 nurtured a delicate illusion for her children.

“ I’ve never seen anything out of place in our house,” Allison recalls. “ We always went to camp every year. We always had new clothes. She did her best.”

Besides, there was always help from social agencies, friends and, around Christmas time, the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund. Since it was established in 1906, the century- old charity sees neither race nor religion. Only need.

For Allison, it helped sustain that illusion.

“ I looked forward to the candy,” the 31- year- old recalls today. But Mother couldn’t shield her children forever, and Christmas casts its spell for only so long. Allison had to grow up.

Living in subsidized housing in Scarborough, with five children of her own, she’s still trying to break the chains that have bound generations of her family.

“ I want to be a personal support worker,” she declares. After all, she has spent much of her life caring for people. There was her father, who lost his fingers, both legs, and ultimately his life to gangrene.

There was her own Tatiana, born with special needs. By the time Tatiana was 4 months old, she had undergone 18 surgeries. She died from fluid buildup in her lungs at age 4. And there was Katrina, who perished

at just 3 weeks old.

Allison’s own health

will always conspire to

keep her dreams of caring for others at bay. She

has Crohn’s disease, an

inflammatory condition that causes acute abdominal pain.

“ It stops you from doing a lot of things in life,” she admits. But like her own mother, she relies on support from friends — and agencies like Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.

Along the way, Allison still dreams her dream. “ I have a lot of health problems,” she says. “ But I don’t care. I’d still rather work. I basically got all the training. And I like that kind of work.” Around Christmas, however, there’s one family legacy she would not be without. Like her mother before her, Allison relies on the Santa Claus Fund to provide gifts for her children.

“ I get them a little,” she sighs. “ But it wouldn’t be enough.”

This year, the Santa Claus Fund celebrates its 100th year of helping underprivileged kids, aiming to raise $ 1.35 million for children across Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax and Pickering.

If you have been touched by the Santa Claus Fund, or have a story to tell, e- mail ccotron@thestar.ca or call 416-8142751.