THUNDER BAY -- Women love a man in uniform.
The Arthritis Society is counting on a few not minding them a little out of uniform.
The organization is out in full force peddling the annual firefighters calendar, with proceeds going to fight juvenile arthritis.
Eleven-year-old Morgan Pientok suffers from the disease, often waking up in the middle of the night in pain, needing ice packs to bring down the swelling in her feet.
Diagnosed at two, it’s a pain she’s known most of her life. She can’t thank the firefighters enough for lending their bodies to a great cause.
“If we raise a lot of money, maybe I won’t have to take any more medication,” she said. “It kind of makes me feel a little bit better because you know there are other people out there who are trying to help.”
The Arthritis Society’s Shelley Graham said Christmas is coming and the calendar’s make a great stocking stuffer for any woman on your shopping list.
The cause is worth the $15, she said.
“Arthritis can affect anybody. Juvenile arthritis affects children as young as 18 months old. Some people are now in their 20s and it’s either stayed with them all this time, or has gone into remission and then come back,” Graham said.
“There are a lot of kids living in Thunder Bay, and one in 1,000 kids in Canada are affected by juvenile arthritis.”
It affects different children in different ways, Graham added.
“They have troubles carrying their backpack to school. They have trouble playing sports or even keeping up with their friends. Some kids it affects their eyesight and they’re even known to go blind. Others, like Morgan who is featured in the calendar, it affects their jaw, it’s not growing properly.”
Firefighter Mike Weatherston said it’s all about giving back to the community.
“It’s for a great cause. I believe it’s very important to raise money for societies like the Arthritis Society and just helping children like Morgan.”
And it was a lot of fun too, said the 27-year-old, who doffed his shirt and coat and took a cold-water dip in Lake Superior for his shot.
“It was pretty intense, but I’m the rookie on the job and they just said jump in the lake and I was all about it,” he said.
Calendars are available at a number of locations across Thunder Bay, including all fire halls, Reid’s Countrywide Furniture, the Superstore, the Canada Games Complex, A Step Above, Investor’s Group, Royal LePage and the Arthritis Society.
