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Waterioo North PC candidate Lynne Woolstencroft presented Premier Frank Miller with a tin of the Region‘s own maple syrup during his stop in St. Jacobs last week. Melodee Martinuk photo Local camps__________â€"_â€"â€" (Continued from page 1) "Because of my experience with local, provincial and national educational organizaâ€" tions, I will bring a depth of knowledge that very few candidates will bring into the House." With almost four weeks left in the election race, both candidates say they are "excited" by the campaigning that lies ahead. For both, the Waterioo North MPP Herb Epp took his campaign to the Maple Syrup Festival Saturday. Melodee Martinuk photo Slash time for RC budget Trustees and administrators of the Waterloo County Separate School Board are getting ready to slash their proposed $47â€"million budget. That budget, if approved, would have meant a 10â€"perâ€"cent increase in elementaâ€" ry taxes, resulting in RC school tax hikes of between $25 and $30 across the Region. On a recommendation of Cambridge trustee Jim Graham, the board is now considering cutting the increase to be tween five and six per cent. According to finance administrator Bill Levigne, the reasons for the potential large increase are many and varied. He said the school board has a larger number of highly qualified teachers than in the NDP {Continued from page 1) priority will be to hit the streets and meet as many people as they can on a oneâ€"toâ€"one basis. "It‘s exciting; it‘s positive," said Woolstenâ€" croft of the race. "I feel as if I‘m emotionally buoyed, intellectually stimulated and visually bombarded." Issues she will be tackling in the coming weeks are youth employment, educaâ€" tional funding, the environment and the preserâ€" vation of the family farm. "It‘s frustrating, but it‘s rewarding," reâ€" marked Epp. ‘"The adrenalin starts pumping quite actively." He said a Liberal government would be committed to increased funding for universities, would offer dental care to school children, seniors and the institutionalized, as well as place greater controls on industry to reduce pollution. He also said an NDP government would do away with the wasteful policies of the present and past Tory governments. ___ _ _ oo ‘"There are needs of the people that would be better responded to than with more government waste." Gerson said. "Two hundred people in this region are waiting for assisted housing; 100 people are attending soup kitchens each day; this region has a 10 per cent unemployment rate â€" there are about 13,000 people living on public assistance. ‘"These are the needs that must be addressed These are the needs that are not being ad dressed." Gerson expressed confidence that New Demoâ€" crats would succeed at the polls in this election, both locally and across the province. â€" "I have a great faith in the wisdom of the people of this community and great respect for their intelligence. I know if we deal with the issue (the NDP) will do well," he concluded. past, meaning larger payâ€"cheques, inâ€" creased local assessment has meant the board ‘will get fewer provincial dollars; and not increasing school taxes last year to give some relief to taxpayers has meant a heavier increase this year. In order to get the increase back to the more acceptable five to six per cent, trustees will now have to try and chop $600,000 of nonâ€"government money from their budget. This procedure will be complicated by the fact that approximately 90 per cent of the budget is being swallowed up by salaries and fixed costs that the board must pay. Budget discussions will probably reâ€" sume next Monday. Pat Arbuckle Chronicle Staff It was sudden and devastating. One day, twoâ€"yearâ€"old Daniel, a happy, healthy child, who had never been sick in his life, came in from playing with a sore, red eye. But two days later, with alarmâ€" ing suddenness, Daniel was in Toronto‘s Hospital for Sick Chilâ€" dren having the eye removed, after retino blastoma, a rare childhood cancer of the eye, was diagnosed by a local doctor. _At first, his parents Penny and Dennis Black (not their real names) were not concerned. ‘"‘We thought he had been outâ€" side and poked it with someâ€" thing,"‘ explained Dennis. That began a nightmare year for the Twin City family, one of fear for their child‘s life, endless trips to Toronto for treatment, financial worries and family disruption. In fact, 18 months later, life for the Black family is only just starting to return to normal. During April, which is Cancer Month, as the family begins to look forward to a more hopeful future, they have decided to tell their story. ‘*You‘re in a kind of shock for a while. It happens so quickly, one day you find out (about the cancer), the next day, he was in treatment." Therapy began immediately after removal of Daniel‘s right eye, first 30 radiation treatments, then chemotherapy every two weeks for one year. ‘"You just don‘t believe it" (when it happens to you). You think they‘re going to find someâ€" thing else," said Penny. Because doctors feared the cancer could spread to the brain or bone marrow, drugs were injected directly into the spine in painful Jlumbar punctures. And since there were indicaâ€" tions the disease had already spread to Daniel‘s left eye, cryotherapy, a cold gas treatment was used to kill any remaining cells. A child who had never been sick was suddenly plunged into a yearâ€"long nightmare of pain, fear and sickness. For the first six weeks, Daniel remained heavily sedated. Besides losing weight, radiation made him tired and caused hair loss. Then, twice monthly chemotherapy treatâ€" ments produced nausea and voâ€" miting. For Penny and Dennis, forced to watch their son endure painful treatments, it was a period of Faith and support bring family out of cancer nightmare Could have spread WATERLOO ChHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 1985 â€" PAGE 3 ‘"He went from a happy home environment to being hurt continâ€" uously. He must have been peâ€" trified â€" having his parents take him there and let them do it to him,"‘ Dennis explained. frustration and guilt. Penny and Dennis remained with their son in Toronto for three months, taking turns spending time at home with their older son Jamie, now nine. Together in Toronto, the Blacks gradually learned to cope with the mental stress and they attribute much of their positive attitude towards Daniel‘s illness to the support they received from other parents at the hospital and at Ronald MacDonald House, a resiâ€" dence for young cancer patients and their families. But Daniel‘s illness has taken a toll on the family‘s finances. Only weeks before the cancer was diagnosed, Dennis had given up a job to pursue a fullâ€"time career as a musician. Penny, who was working partâ€"time was also forced to give up her job to be with her son in Toronto. ‘"You think the worst at first, but as you are around other parents and see what they are going through, you realize there are others who are in worse shape,"‘ Dennis said. Fortunately, friends and family came to the rescue, raising $1,000 through a benefit held in their honor and Dennis‘ former coâ€" workers also donated money to take care of additional expenses. "You might be feeling down and someone would come up and do something nice for you and make you feel better," said Penny. Daniel, described by his parents as a "goâ€"getter," has regained weight lost during treatment and is again the active youngster he was before his illness. Aside from Daniel‘s threeâ€" month checkâ€"ups in Toronto, the Black‘s main concern now is that their son continue to develop normally, without feeling selfâ€" conscious â€" about his condition. Now that they have weathered the storm and are beginning to look forward hopefully to brighter days, the Blacks are considering ways of showing their appreciaâ€" tion for assistance they received from both Ronald MacDonald House and the Canadian Cancer Society. Plans include a benefit concert to raise money for Ronald MacDonald House that would feaâ€" ture performances by Dennis and other local talent. He‘s a goâ€"getter Taking turns