The draw was held last week in the fundraising raffle to support Ursa Meyer in her recovery from a devastating stroke that struck the young musician last year. Following the stroke, the right side of her body was paralyzed. With regular treatments, however, Ursa has regained a great deal of mobility. Unfortunately, not all of these treatments are covered by insurance or OHIP.
The North Grenville Times, in partnership with the Oxford Mills Community Association, decided to raise some funds by raffling off an original framed watercolour by Marguerite Boyer, in support of Ursa’s ongoing medical needs as she continues to recover. The painting, on display at the B&H Grocery for the last few month, was won by April Dojcak.
Ursa has been making progress in her treatment and reports that “My arm and leg are progressing slowly but steadily. I have reduced the number of times I am going to physio (twice a week as opposed to 4. 1 time for my arm, 1 time for my leg).”
She has also returned to school, taking four courses: Music and Computers, Child Development, Music Education II, and Piano Pedagogy I. Remarkably, Ursa is teaching music at Tempo Drive Music School, as well as giving private lessons.
Her parents, Marc and Glenna, and her music students, have been really supportive during her recuperation, and Ursa has found ways to adapt to teaching. “I have to think of creative ways to teach certain skills, but never have I encountered a hurdle that I couldn’t overcome.”
The support from the community, particularly through the raffle fundraiser, has also given Ursa a real lift to the spirits. She told the Times: “And give the public a huge thank you from me! Their contributions go a long way for helping me get back to a two functional armed, two functional legged person! (Which is the ultimate goal).”
A Huge Thank You to all involved. The money raised from the raffle was just shy of $3,000.00.
