Thunder Bay Challenged to Stand up to Nickname
The City of Thunder Bay, nicknamed the “City with a Heart,” is facing a challenge to defend its moniker, as one group is urging city officials to lend a helping hand to those suffering from an autoimmune diseases called lupus.
Paula Courtney, who was diagnosed with lupus in 1993, was forced to stop working as a hairdresser because of the disease’s debilitating effects. The doctors’ prognosis was grim: she only had around 10 years to live.
Fortunately, however, Courtney fought back, and 17 years after being first diagnosed, she is busy as a group leader for the local arm of Lupus Ontario. The local support group recently held a fundraising program at the Metro grocery store here in Thunder Bay.
The campaign, which aimed to raise $25,000 at the end of the month for research on lupus at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, was unfortunately not quite as successful as Courtney might’ve hoped. After a month of hard work, the group only managed to raise $3,000 in donations.
Courtney is calling on the city’s residents to pitch in and defend the Thunder Bay’s “City with a Heart” nickname. She pointed out that if each of the city’s residents gave 25 cents, they would easily meet their $25,000 goal.
Join Us :