durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, November 24, 2022 | 4 P: 905-430-4300 E: info@whitby.ca whitby.ca What You Need To Know This Week in Whitby Mark your calendars to get in the festive spirit with the following upcoming events: Christmas in the Village | November 25 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Downtown Whitby BIA's Christmas Market | December 3 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and December 4 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Celebration Square in front of the Whitby Public Library (405 Dundas St. W.) Whitby Santa Claus Parade | December 3 starting at 10 a.m. (organized by The Optimist Club of Brooklin) Learn more at whitby.ca/Events Stay Active And Have Fun This Winter Registration for the Town's Winter Programs opens on December 7. Start creating your wish list now so you're ready to go! For a complete list head to whitby.ca/Active Special Holiday On-Street Parking Rate All on-street metered parking in Downtown Whitby is reduced to $1 per hour all December long. Shop local, Whitby! whitby.ca/Parking Yard Waste Pickup Ends Soon Make sure you're bringing your brown bags out to the curb on the right day. • Last collection in the Yellow area: November 28 to December 2 • Last collection in the Blue area: December 5 to 9 Never miss another garbage day again. Get the Waste Buddy App to receive personalized reminders for your waste collection schedule. You can also download a copy of the waste collection calendar at whitby.ca/Waste Have Your Say on the Future of Parks and Recreation in Whitby Scan the QR code to complete an online survey and have your say on how the Town gets active. Hard copies of the survey are also available at all Town recreation and library facilities. We're creating a plan to guide the future of parks and recreation in our community - and we want to hear from you! connectwhitby.ca/ParksAndRecreation Less than two months after completing cancer treatment, Dylan Waduck was lacing up his sneakers at Dagmar. The Grade 10 Sinclair Secondary School student rang the bell at the Hospital for Sick Children on Sept. 22 to mark the end of two-and-a-half years of cancer treatment against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Shortly after, Dylan competed in the Lake Ontario Secondary School Association (LOSSA) croscountry finals and ended up finishing high enough to advance to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) cross-country championships. "Last year, I was in the toughest days of treatment when I ran the LOSSA race and my goal was only to finish," Dylan recalled. "This year, my goal was to compete near the middle of the pack, but I did even better and qualified for OFSAA." On Nov. 5, Dylan laced up for the OFSAA championships at Dagmar in Uxbridge, running against students from across the province. He finished 207th out of 249 runners with a time of 21 minutes and 16 seconds. "Running at OFSAA this year was an achievement itself but running as well as I did was a greater accomplishment," he said of the event. "Being able to run after what I've been through made me so proud of myself. I have trained hard and thank my cross-country coaches for believing in me." Dylan and the Waduck family praise the support they received from the school and wider community throughout Dylan's treatment. After his diagnosis in Grade 9, Dylan's then-teacher, Jason Mottershead of John Dryden Public School, visited the family's home frequently to keep Dylan up to date. "I wanted to help him with his homeschooling because he was so driven and so determined to keep up with his work, and I wanted to do anything that I could to support him," Mottershead said, adding Dylan's classmates also sent messages of support for Dylan, which he would deliver during his visits. "There was a lot of support in the school community for Dylan and he was never far from people's thoughts." Dylan's teammates from his hockey and lacrosse teams also organized a car parade to show their support. "It's not anything that anyone would expect to have to be a part of but you're strong because you have to be, and you just get through it," said Dylan's mom, Gina Waduck. "The support from the sport and school communities and local organizations has really kept us going throughout." Dylan also credited the show of support with impacting his attitude throughout the long ordeal. "It really felt like people were behind me and were going to help me get through the long road ahead," he said. "I always look at the positives more than the negatives. It's important to keep things positive all the way through and never stop -- to never give up." Now that his treatments are over, Dylan has many new experiences to look forward to, including an upcoming trip to Disney World courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "I don't know what to expect, but I'm really excited," Dylan said. SINCLAIR STUDENT RACES IN OFSAA AFTER CANCER REMISSION MOYA DILLON mdillon@durhamregion.com COMMUNITY DYLAN WADUCK SHARES JOURNEY OF LIVING WITH LEUKEMIA Dylan Waduck was able to compete in the Lake Ontario Secondary School Association cross-country championships earlier this fall. Durham District School Board photo