MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 201 1 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA News 5 Walk pays tribute to coordinator Charelle EVELYN Citizen staff cevelyn@pgcitizen.ca For the past three years, Paul Duperron has been front and centre as coordinator of the local Kidney Walk. But this year, Duperron was the guest of honour. Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 1985 and on dialysis for the past four-and-a-half years, Duperron and wife Diane were not expecting the call Sept. 7 telling them of an available organ. He received his new kidney Sept. 8 at Vancouver General Hospital. Duperron was back home in Prince George for a brief, but whirlwind, weekend to see out his commitment to the local walk Sunday afternoon. “Diane has been trying to get all this done without me,” he said. Though tired from the travel, excitement and strain on his still-recovering body, Duperron was in good spirits. “I’m happy to help as much as I can.” The Prince George man said he was grateful for his new kidney and thankful to the donor and the donor’s family, though was reluctant to bring any attention to himself as opposed to the cause. “I didn’t really do anything -I’m just the recipient,” he laughed before kicking off the walk with Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond and mascot Sidney the Kidney. “The person who really did something is the donor.” But Duperron’s story is uncommon, which he said is due to the gap between people who express interest in donating organs and those who actually register to do so. As the president of the Prince George chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Duperron’s wife Diane has been a long-time advocate of organ donor registration. Throughout the afternoon event at the Northern Sport Centre, t-shirts were on sale proclaiming “Don’t take your organs to heaven. Heaven knows we need them here” and “Recycle yourself.” Most chronic kidney diseases attack the filtering units of the kidneys, damaging their ability to eliminate wastes and excess fluids. When the kidneys fails, wastes and fluids accumulate in your body and require dialysis treatment to clean your blood or a transplant. According to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, 72 per cent of people on the waiting list for an organ transplant are waiting for kidneys. In B.C., 85 per cent of residents surveyed stated they were in favour of organ donation but only 17 per cent have registered. She said to get the call of an available kidney after less than five years, when doctors told the family it would take between seven and 10, was amazing. And despite the stress of putting the finishing touches on the annual event without her husband, Diane said it came together “beautifully.” Eighty-one walkers registered for the walk and brought in more than $8,700 in pledges. Duperron returns to Vancouver this afternoon, where he must remain for another month-and-a-half. After that, if all goes well, he will have to check in once every two weeks. Fallen officers honoured in day of mourning Charelle EVELYN Citizen staff cevelyn@pgcitizen.ca Across the country, flags were flown at half-mast, speeches were made and ceremonies were held in honour of the country’s fallen servicemen and women. Sunday marked the Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day, which began 33 years ago following the murder of Ottawa Const. David Kirkwood in 1977. The federal government made Sept. 25 a national day of mourning in 1998. While there were no official ceremonies in Prince George, the flag on top of the local RCMP detachment was flown at half-mast. “[Law enforcement is a huge family, even internationally. We offer support across Canada and across the border,” said RCMP Supt. Rod Booth. The day is meant to pay tribute to all police and peace officers who have passed away in the line of duty and that can be an emotional prospect. “It opens old wounds on the old cases and fresh, raw emotion with the new families as part of the ceremonies,” Booth said. “We all know someone, or in passing of someone, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.” In a written statement, B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Shirley Bond thanked the men and women who had paid the ultimate price, as well as their friends and families for supporting them. “Police and peace officers face daily what few of us contemplate as we head to work: the possibility that they won’t return home,” she said. “This remains a tragic reality despite the extensive training officers receive, the protective equipment at their disposal, their well-deserved faith in each other and the support from dispatchers and information-sharing systems to make what are often split-second decisions.” Although there were no officer deaths in the province this year, 106 officers have died in the line of duty over the years. Bond said the province joins in the mourning of the four officers who died across the country this year. “Despite the risk, police and peace officers remain committed to their work - and to their comrades, known and unknown,” Bond wrote. “It is incredibly moving when we see officers from departments across North America converge to honour the passing of their own.” — with files from Frank Peebles SUBMITTED PHOTO Ty Roberts, CNC's program planner for the aviation business diploma program in the simulator cockpit at Vanderhoof airport. CNC's flight training program officially takes off Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca Prospective pilots can get some on-the-ground training before taking to the air thanks to pair of state-of-the-art flight simulators at College of New Caledonia’s (CNC) Nechako campus in Vanderhoof. They’re the centrepiece of CNC’s aviation business diploma program that took off earlier this month. When they’re not learning to fly, students enrolled in the 20-month program also take on a full slate of business courses - marketing, human resources development, business law, accounting, management, statistics and business information systems. By the end, they’ll have earned a private pilot’s license, a commercial pilot’s license with a float rating and an aviation business diploma. “This is a chance for students to train for a rewarding career in the north,” said Ty Roberts, CNC’s program planner for the program. “The prospects for aviation pilots appear to be improving greatly for the next five to 10 years.” Roberts said there is a shortage of airline pilots in mid-level operations and it’s predicted there will be a shortage of 300,000 pilots worldwide and the program’s business aspect will give students a further leg up. “They’re contributing, just not through flying, but in useful management roles,” Roberts said. “More and more companies are specifying pilots should have a diploma or degree along with their pilot’s license.” Tuition is $62,700 which includes $50,000 for flight school with Guardian Aerospace, which includes 200 hours of flying as well as 80 hours in the two Redbird Flight Simulators. The remainder of the cost is college tuition. “While it’s an expensive career to get into, it provides absolutely excellent earning capacity,” said Roberts. Prince George and Vanderhoof-based Guardian Aerospace is the only flight school operator in northern B.C. and will provide the flight training. At a combined cost of $165,000, the simulators were funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, Northern Development Initiative Trust and the Nechako-Kiti-mat Development Fund. “Our government understands that a productive aviation industry requires skilled workers to remain competitive,” said Cari-boo-Prince George MP Dick Harris. Neuromuscular Dentistry Series - Part One Ql Recently I started getting clicking and popping sounds and pain when opening and closing my jaw associated with headaches so, I visited my Chiropractor who said that what I really needed was to get checked out by a Neuromuscular Dentist. What is a Neuromuscular Dentist and what do they do that my family Dentist can’t? A: It sounds like you are suffering from a Temperomandibular related Joint Disorder. This is often called “TMJ” or “TMD". Different groups of Dentists have different philosophies on how to diagnose and treat TMD. This can result in confusion and frustration for the afflicted patient. Keeping in mind that there may be variations within these groups, we will give a simplified description to help you decide what is best tor you. Psycho-social Group: These Dentists believe that the root cause of TMD symptoms is psychological stress. Their treatment of TMD involves the use of long-term medications and employment of psychologists or psychiatrists. These dentists believe the posture of the head, neck, and jaw structures has little significance. Joint-Focused Group: These dentists receive training in the art of manually guiding the jaw into position inside the joint and then constructing the oral appliance to ‘hold’ this position. If the jaw is positioned incorrectly, the TMD symptoms can often worsen. These dentists do not receive significant training in the diagnosis and treatment of the head and neck components of TMD. if postural issues are not resolved during treatment, head and neck symptoms may perpetuate and worsen. Deprogramming Group: These dentists do not employ manual manipulation of the TMJ, instead they typically insert a deprogramming appliance which opens the bite - d e n t a t by Dr. Andrew Willoughby, DMD allowing the jaw to find it own position within the joint. In TMD cases where the root cause of symptoms is strictly jaw muscle or jaw muscie/bite related, this method can be quite effective in relaxing the jaw muscles but this new jaw position is determined ambiguously and is not reproduceable. Neuromuscular Group: These dentists have received training in the relationship existing between teeth, jaw joints, muscles, nerves and the bony structures of the head and neck. A medical model is followed whereby TMD symptoms are considered as part of the patients overall health. Jaw and neck muscles are deprogrammed by using a TENS machine - used for decades by physiotherapists and neuromuscular dentists. Postural issues of the entire body are considered before final jaw position is determined. Advanced neuromuscular dentists also employ the use of computer diagnostics and jaw tracking devices call a “K7” to very accurately locate the jaw in a position that supports optimal health of the entire system. There are many different schools of thought on how to diagnose and treat the condition of TMD. Pain is not the best indicator of the existence of TMD and may only appear in advanced stages where the bones otthe joints and vertebrae have already degenerated. Patients with any of the below listed TMD signs and symptoms may be well advised to have a consultation with a dentist trained in one or more of the above mentioned groups: Clicking or popping joint sounds; ringing in the ears ("tinnitus”); light sensitivity; migraine like headaches; neck or shoulder pain; tingling in the fingers.; joint pain; limitation in jaw movements; missing posterior teeth or heavily worn anterior teeth. North Hart Dental Centre for Neuromuscular Aesthetic Dentistry 3829 Austin Road West, Prince George, B. C. Ph: 250. 962. 8287 Dr. Willoughby has been successfully placing and restoring dental implants since 1991 and holds 6 US Dental Implant Patents which in 2002, were licensed to the second largest dental implant manufacturer in the world.