
Donate to help Bruce Clements
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Hello!
My name is Linda. Bruce is my dear brother, my hero, the one I am fundraising for. He and his wife, Lynda, live in Havelock, Ontario, but he also has a life-long connection to Gravenhurst, where I live with our mom. Bruce is an artist, musician, father, husband, friend to many and a man of deep faith. I am reaching out to family, friends, and community members for financial assistance to help Bruce. After years of dealing with the ups and downs of cancer, chemotherapy treatments and radiation, he now has cancer in his bones.
During the past month, his life has quickly changed and he has lost the use of his arms, has difficulty walking and has intense pain. Bruce cannot afford what he desperately needs right now. This includes assistive-devices, regular in-home therapies to relieve pressure and pain, and a remote reclining chair with massage features. The chair and in-home therapy are the immediate concerns. A hospital bed may be a necessity in the future.
Bruce was diagnosed with cancer six years ago. Since then, Bruce has endured (always with faith and trust in the process) almost four years of chemotherapy with the odd two or three-week break, and radiation. He is also a patient at the Integrative Cancer Centre where mainstream and alternative therapies work together. However, a lack of funds has prevented appointments or treatments as the centre is not covered by Ontario health care. This is something we are looking into again.
A bit about Bruce . . .
Bruce’s fighting spirit and inspiring view of life are remarkable. Every day he wakes up is his birthday. From the beginning of his diagnosis, every time someone asks, “How’s your day?” Bruce will always reply, “It's a great day! Today is my birthday.” Each day is a gift for Bruce and he lives that philosophy despite the years of chemo cocktails, increasing physical limitations, and relentless pain. Many of us, from the woman at the local coffee shop to his buddies at the gas station, fellow musicians, neighbours, friends, family, and hospital workers know, and love, that Bruce celebrates his birthday every day.
His creativity as an artist and musician has been front and centre despite his challenges. He creates mixed media art inspired by his love of nature and animals. I will post a photo of his work soon. His impressions of the natural world around him offer a glimpse into Bruce’s heart as an artist. I hope that after the negative effects of the last round of radiation pass, Bruce will be creating new art. I look up to him for never allowing cancer to define who he is, or how he lives and creates in this life.
I received a message from Bruce’s boss today and one of the things he said was “We love our brother Bruce.” It touched me so much. He is not just a brother to me and my sister, Carol, but a brother to many. And, right now, our brother is having a very rough time. Thank you for reading this and whether you can donate or not, please share this page with the people in your world.
With blessings and gratitude, Linda.
Organizer
Linda Coffey
Organizer
Gravenhurst, ON