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"And we're all a family, right?" Says It All

Catching the next wave

Injury doesn't stop paramedic

By MIKE STROBEL

"Just one more wave," Kevin Mills says to Heather, his wife. He grins and bounds back into the surf.

One wave. Rolling up the Caribbean and on to Cayo Largo, a windy flyspeck off the south coast of Cuba.

One wave. A freaky big one. It spins Kevin, 28, like a toy headfirst to the hard, sandy bottom.

Then he is floating face down in the sea. Helpless as a rag doll.

He knows what has happened to him. He knows what it means. He's seen it happen many times. He's a paramedic.

All he can do is hold his breath and hope. Ten seconds, 20, 30 ...

His sister's fiance, a Mountie, is first to reach him. But a second wave rips them apart and Kevin is back under the foamy surf.

Hold your breath, can't move, hold your breath ...

The Mountie finds him again.

Heather reaches them. She'd been drying her hair on the beach when she heard the cries: "Oh my God, Kevin!"

Heather is a Toronto EMS paramedic, too. So she knows the trouble he's in.

They met in emerg at Scarborough General. Kevin did chinups on a door frame. Heather was a smitten kitten. Their first date was rock climbing. Their son, Evan, is 20 months old.

They're on Cayo Largo for Kevin's sister's wedding. It's a romantic nook of the world, barely 25 by 3 km. Cuba's best beaches, if you ask me.

The rest is reefs and mangroves. A pirate's paradise. A couple of resorts. No permanent residents.

Lovely place for a wedding. Lousy place to become a quadriplegic.

Heather gets Kevin stable, into a bare-bones ambulance and off to the bare-bones clinic. Staff there don't even have cups for water.

Heather talks the Cuban doc into calling a military pal, who sends over a cargo plane.

In Havana, the hospital is out of local anesthetic, so they drill stabilizer screws into Kevin's skull without it. Good grief. Kevin still pales at the memory.

He can't get back to Sunnybrook fast enough.

Best friend Mike Vocilka, 31, also a paramedic, greets him at the airport.

"Quit messing around and get up," Mike tells him.

Kevin pretends to try. "Maybe tomorrow," he grins.

Then it's a blur. A titanium bar connects his spine. Nothing quashes his humour.

At Lyndhurst rehab, a bevy of lady friends comes to visit, massaging his feet and fussing about.

"Dear Penthouse," Kevin deadpans. "I've got five girls in my room and I can't feel a thing."

The docs start off grim. No upper mobility, they predict. Oh, and a breathing tube. Soon they are amazed.

Just 15 weeks after the freak wave -- and here's Kevin wheeling around Cactus Pete's, a sprawling bar on Birchmount at Danforth Rd.

No breathing tube. Kevin used yoga and meditation instead. Heather, 36, even brought in a Buddhist monk.

"He's a strong guy," says Vocilka. "Rock climbing, kayaking, running.

"The paramedic in me says: 'C4 break? Jeez, buddy, you're screwed.' We've all read the textbooks.

"But the friend in me sees the fast progress he's made and the attitude he has and I just can't sell him short."

Progress indeed. C4 has become C6, which means he can wheel a chair. And if willpower alone were enough, Kevin Mills will again be wheeling an ambulance, instead, saving lives and limbs.

"My goal is to get better," says Kevin. "Totally better. No matter how long it takes."

'Til then, he and Heather need to sell their townhouse in Aurora and find wheelchair-friendly digs. Quadriplegia is expensive.

Which brings us back to Cactus Pete's, and one of seven planned fundraisers.

(Donations to the Kevin Mills Recovery Effort can be made at any RBC branch, transit 4030, account 5056817.)

This night, Cactus Pete's is the best place in town to have a heart attack. The place crawls with folks who can revive, stabilize and intubate you.

On stage, Judy Belanger and the I.V. League, a fine paramedics' band, bust out some country.

"Kevin is salt of the earth," says Geoff MacBride, 34, a director of the paramedics union. "And we're all a family, right?"

Seems so. At any rate, Kevin Mills sees himself as a lucky man.

"I have a great life, a wonderful wife and son, a great family and friends. So many wonderful things to enjoy and look forward to."

Will he walk again? Or even pick up his young son?

The textbooks say not bloody likely. But life doesn't always go by the book.

Sometimes it sends a surprise wave your way.

Kevin's colleagues have opened a bank account to collect funds to help cover the costs associated with his recovery. You can make a donation at any

Royal Bank of Canada:

RBC Account Name: Kevin Mills Recovery Effort

RBC Transit #: 4030

RBC Account #: 5056817

Or by cheque to:

Kevin Mills Recovery Effort

c/o Andrew Cairns

115 Richmond Street East

Suite 902

Toronto, Ontario

M5C 3H6

In addition to financial help, it means a lot to Kevin and his family to receive letters of support during this difficult time. They can be reached at: kevinheathermills@gmail.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

There will be fund raising events arranged in the near future as well so please watch for the notices and help in any way you can. Thank you so much.

Letters to the Editor

By SUN READERS

Thank you, Mike Strobel, for "Catching the next wave" (May 21) -- concerning Kevin Mills. I had the privilege of having Kevin as a student and as a graduate several years ago. Kevin entered the paramedic program at Humber College as the youngest in his class. He displayed within the first couple of weeks all of the attributes Strobel described. But Kevin is even more. He was an astute and caring student who would hold small group sessions with other students who might be struggling with one or more theoretical or practical areas of content they couldn't seem to wrap their heads (or hands) around. Kevin is a seeker. A seeker never leaves a stone unturned, and never resorts to the phrase "that's good enough." This is a man who displays integrity, ingenuity and insight. Kevin will succeed. He may not succeed in a traditional paramedic role but he has contributions and gifts that must be recognized within the corporation of the Toronto Emergency Services Department. I applaud Strobel's column and Kevin's grit and determination. Kevin holds Humber College's paramedic student record for the 1.8 km run with a time of 5:34. Upon completing, he went back along the course to run with other students who were having trouble with that part of their fitness test. Keep on running Kevin.

Says It All.....

Picked Up At Dust My Broom

Just Being a Prick

Just for fun

Written by Krazy

Tuesday, 19 May 2009 00:00

Having read somewhere that Russian men received some of the lowest scores on IQ tests than those in other developing countries, I though it was another Western bias. Until I read this story! The law in the US state of Florida specifically forbids having sex with a porcupine, and for a good reason, as two tourists from Russia discovered while trying to break it. I'm speachless!

Genocide

Tiger tales By MICHAEL COREN, TORONTO SUN I suppose it could be worse for MP and chiropractor Ruby Dhalla.

Tangled theology of terrorism

May 13, 2009 There are terrorists and terrorists. Canada considers the Liberation Tigers of...

Greening Of Toronto?

What were they thinking?

Mount Pleasant Parkette blah-de-blah

Enzo Di Matteo

Mind-bending riddle: when is a park not a park? When it’s a boulevard.

Efforts to reclaim orphaned green spaces have led to the creation of some curious parks (in name only, it should be stressed). Put up a sign, plant a few flowers, maybe a tree and – presto – another half-hearted attempt at growing green consciousness. See Mount Pleasant Parkette. The strip of green between Balliol and Davisville is really a boulevard that was claimed as parkland a few years back but now functions more like a glorified bus stop.

The strip boasts as many benches as fire hydrants (one), if we exclude the bench dedicated to the class of 2008 by a nearby college. Its designation as a park is a bit of a mystery even to the local councillor.

What we do know: houses used to occupy the site until about the mid-1920s, when large lots were severed into smaller ones and then cleared to make room for a streetcar line and, later, the arrival of automobiles pushing development north. The irony is that the space today is inaccessible, held hostage on both sides by the car traffic that led to its creation decades ago.

How about a community garden to enliven the surroundings? 

NOW

Can't Seem to Get Away From Nannygate

Nanny trap is suspiciously selective
by Antonia Zerbisias

Dufferin & Castlefield Location Is A Veal Oasis In The North

California Sandwiches

Here’s what you do: go to the counter at 244 Claremont St. in Little Italy and order “veal sweet with mushrooms” ($7.81). Then chat with everyone else in line while the women barely visible through the kitchen window go about their business. When your sandwich comes, it will be on a slightly crusty, soft-on-the-inside, round bun with slices of breaded veal stacked high, bathed in tomato sauce and covered in green peppers and mushrooms. Take it outside — maybe to the park — since the dining room isn’t much to look at. Take a bite. And give praise for the moments of simple grace provided by un-fancy Italian cooking. If the whole fattening-pen thing puts you off veal, skip the chicken ($6.86) and go for the best meatball sandwich in the city ($5.75), served on the same round bun with a single, giant meatball. You’ll never eat the cheap sub-chain version again.

Is That Jack, A Lookalike, Photoshop......

Red Shirt Day

Written by Publius

Thursday, 07 May 2009 05:19

.....holding bottled water? Not welcome at Silly Hall.

Your Susan Boyle Fix For The Day

Long live Susan Boyle!
April 27, 2009
Robin Breon
What is it within the cynical souls of the pundits and reviewers of the mainstream media that has unleashed such a torrent of reproach against Susan Boyle?

If You Haven't Bookmarked Gay And Right You Should

Tel Aviv Gay Pride to feature weddings this year....
I don't normally blog about gay pride...but I just can't help it when it occurs in Israel...The 11th annual Tel Aviv Gay Pride parade this summer will feature an event organizers believe to be the first ever for such an event anywhere in the world and certainly in Israel - two weddings, one of a gay couple and one of a lesbian pair.A campaign will be launched on the Web site gogay.co.il seeking
GayandRight |

It Is The Weekend

Today"s Input.....

Piracy has an unexpected upside Nicholas von Hoffman
When the young Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates, they took him off to their Mediterranean island base, where he lived among his captors while waiting to be ransomed. According to the historian Plutarch, Caesar entered into the pirate life, taking part in their athletic ...

Matt Gurney: Blockade Somalia and send in the choppers
Posted: April 17, 2009, 3:30 PM

Another week, another round of pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa. With one of the world's most lucrative shipping routes running astride the coastline of one of the world's least stable countries, it's no surprise that piracy is flourishing. Whether the objective is to capture valuable cargo or take hostages for ransom, piracy might be the last growth industry left in Somalia. This isn't a recent development. Somalia has long been near the top of the list for the world's most dysfunctional country, and the attacks against international shipping have received considerable press coverage. Over the last week, further events have added to the interest in the story. French commandos stormed a pleasure yacht captured by pirates, engaging them in a battle that left one hostage dead, and five pirates killed or captured. In another incident, a ship crewed by Americans was captured by pirates, who retreated in the face of resistance from the crew, taking the captain hostage in a lifeboat. After a five-day standoff with the United States Navy destroyer Bainbridge, SEAL snipers put an end to the crisis by killing the pirates.
Click here to read more...

Odds & Sods

Penny-pinching hermit a top B.C. NDP donor
Moncton NB gets 25 cm of snow
Canadians lack faith in their weather forecasters
Top baby bottle leached more chemicals: report
Ontario judge's ruling forces a ceasefire in neighbourhood's trench warfare

Odds "N Sods

AVALANCHE CLAIMS 19TH VICTIM IN ROCKIES

VALEMOUNT, B.C. -- One man is dead after an avalanche on B.C.'s Monashee Mountains, near Valemount, yesterday.

RCMP say a number of snowmobilers were taking turns riding up a slope when one of them, a 24-year-old man visiting from Sherwood Park, Alta., triggered the avalanche and was buried.

Nineteen snowmobilers have died in avalanches in B.C. and Alberta this winter.

MEMORIAL FOR MURDERED JOGGER

VANCOUVER -- Just a few kilometres from where she was murdered while running through a park on Vancouver's west side, family and friends of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry gathered for her memorial service yesterday.

Ladner-Beaudry, the sister of former Vancouver mayoral candidate Peter Ladner, was killed while running through the trails of Pacific Spirit Park on April 3.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that the attack was a random one, striking fear among those who use the park and reside nearby.

BRANTFORD ISSUES WATER WARNING

BRANTFORD -- Brantford residents and businesses are being asked to voluntarily cut back on all unnecessary water use from tomorrow to April 25.

City hall has made the request hoping to reduce demand while essential repairs and upgrades are made to the water treatment plant.

If the voluntary reduction doesn't work, a plant manager says the city might have to impose a total ban on lawn and garden watering over the summer.

• Undeclared peanuts in Bergen Brand Almond cookies
• Dozens of dead seals on beach likely crushed by ice, DFO says
• Bodycheck alleged in non-contact game: $245,000 lawsuit
• Legless refugee claims police abuse: Seeks $350,000
• Battle erupts over eggs
• Sexual jokes at work fun for some, but hurt morale

An Easter Message

Let's rise and shine

By MICHEAL COREN

What I particularly love about Easter is the joy it brings to all those tired old atheist hacks who can sell articles to newspapers explaining why Easter isn't Easter, Jesus wasn't Jesus and Cadbury Creme Eggs are all some sort of Christian conspiracy to cause obesity and heart disease.

National Post editorial board: The message of Easter
Posted: April 11, 2009,
The Earth moves and all that seems stable collapses. The earthquake in Italy this past week was only the latest to remind us that even this solid Earth is no sure foundation. In terms of loss of life it was minor in comparison to, for example, the Chinese earthquake last year that killed tens of thousands. The devastation is real though, not just in lives lost and property destroyed, but in the cultural heritage of centuries that was laid waste.
Yesterday was a national day of mourning in Italy, and a mass funeral was held in L’Aquila. It was Good Friday. Perhaps some of those mourners were struck by the account we have in Matthew’s Gospel of the hour of Jesus’ death on that original Friday afternoon: And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the Earth shook, and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Click here to read more...

Odeds "N Sods

MOTHER NATURE HELPS FLOODING SKIRT 'PEG HOMES

WINNIPEG -- Hundreds of volunteers who had gathered at a city arena yesterday sent up a loud cheer and applauded after hearing that emergency officials no longer needed their help to protect an area of more than 150 homes.

Officials were concerned that huge chunks of ice in the Red River would drift into Winnipeg and then get stuck on an ice jam that was already threatening to flood homes.

But the ice chunks were smaller than feared and many bypassed the city altogether.

Seal hunters at work in Gulf

HALIFAX -- A fisheries spokesman says a half dozen sealing vessels were active yesterday in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence in a hunt that has been slowed by weather and ice.

Phil Jenkins of the fisheries department said a total of 458 seals have been taken since the northern Gulf hunt began Wednesday. He said the hunt has a quota of about 64,000 seals.

Facebook water threat dismissed

BORDEN-CARLETON, P.E.I. -- A P.E.I. civic employee has been reinstated after being placed on leave following a Facebook posting that reportedly said he might shut off a chlorine pump, possibly leading to a repeat of the tragedy in Walkerton in 2000 that killed seven people.

Police also investigated but found no grounds to lay charges against water and sewer employee Scott Campbell.

C. difficile kills 3 in hospital

HAMILTON -- Three seniors with C. difficile have died at a Hamilton hospital this month.

An investigation by St. Joseph's Hospital has revealed the bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea contributed to three deaths in April. As well, two other patients who died of other serious illnesses in March also had C. difficile. All of the patients were in their 80s with multiple health problems.

A total of 17 people have become ill with C. difficile and nine are still in hospital.

Odds 'N Sods

Garbage not private: Supreme Court
A former national team swimmer kicked his privacy rights to the curb when he put out trash bags containing evidence of a home-based ecstasy lab, says the Supreme Court of Canada. The high court ruled 7-0 yesterday that Russell Patrick abandoned such legal protections when he put the four bags out for collection alongside a public alleyway in Calgary.
"The police did not breach (Patrick's) right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure," Justice Ian Binnie wrote on behalf of the court.
The police did not have to step onto Patrick's property to retrieve the bags, Binnie noted. But "they did have to reach through the airspace over his property line."
The case was considered a key test of whether garbage is constitutionally protected, like homes and telephone conversations.
Mass killer gets life
VANCOUVER -- A man who pled guilty in a mass killing in a Surrey highrise has been sentenced to life in prison, with 15 years before he can apply for parole. Dennis Karbovanec, 27, quietly pleaded guilty last week to three counts of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy in the October 2007 murders.
Chopper survivor talks
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- The sole survivor of a helicopter crash off Newfoundland that killed 17 last month says he escaped through a window and remained calm until rescued.
In a statement, Robert Decker says he doesn't know how Allison Maher escaped the helicopter. Maher was the only other person who managed to get out of the helicopter, but she died. Decker says he has spoken with the RCMP in an effort to help out with the Transportation Safety Board's investigation and won't be speaking publicly until its final report is released.
Kids to be evacuated
A First Nations community in northern Ontario is preparing to evacuate 700 children over fears that harmful fuel fumes are making them ill, an aboriginal leader said yesterday.
Plans are underway to airlift the children out of Attawapiskat First Nation near James Bay this month, even though it could cost millions of dollars, said Grand Chief Stan Louttit. "Both levels of government refuse to help."
Residents say they have been suffering from headaches, nausea and other ailments since an abandoned elementary school was torn down in March.
Khawaja appeals
OTTAWA -- Momin Khawaja is appealing his conviction. Khawaja's lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, served notice yesterday he's asking the Ontario Court of Appeal to overturn a finding that his client aided a group of British extremists.
Topless pic scandal
HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's Liberal leader distanced himself yesterday from a campaign worker's attempt to smear a potential NDP candidate. Stephen McNeil says he did not authorize the worker to send out a topless photo of Lenore Zann. The blurred pic -- broadcast Wednesday on TV -- was taken from Zann's appearance on the U.S. cable TV show The L Word.

Privacy A Farce! Your Privacy Is Your Responsibillity

Supreme Court: You Can Trash Your Right to Privacy
Here’s a question for you: when you’re done paying a bill, and reconciled it with your bank statement, do you throw it away? And, if you do, do you just chuck it in your trash or recycling bin, or do you shred it first, to keep people digging through the trash from knowing who you are? This isn’t a light question. The Supreme Court has just ruled that, once your toss something The Phantom Observer