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Cogratulations to all of Residents from Eagle Point Townhouse Complex

Posted by BY VANCOUVER SUN OCTOBER 27, 2009, October 28th, 2009 | 0 Comments

Beyond The Grape would like to congratulate all the residents of the Eagle Point Townhouse Complex in Port Moody, many of which are our customers, on Winning the Super Community Challenge.

Eagle Point: A community that cares

Eagle Point doesn't have the white picket fences and perpetually blooming trees that one pictures when thinking about an ideal neighbourhood. The lawns aren't perfectly manicured. The streets aren't without cracks and bumps.

It's the people who live in the Port Moody townhouse complex that make it unique.

It's the kind of community where everyone knows each other. Everyone helps each other. And when a child gets sick -- a sadly frequent occurrence in Eagle Point -- everyone pitches in to help.

In the past decade, seven kids in the community have been diagnosed with cancer, and one child has been diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition.

In each case, the people of Eagle Point have rallied around the families, offering support, assistance and encouragement. They've provided hot meals, walked dogs, and run errands when needed.

They've also held barbeques and parties to raise money for cancer research, and have participated in countless community fundraising events, all of which has earned them the title of "Super Community," bestowed upon them by the BC Children's Hospital Foundation.

Three of the kids to face life-threatening illnesses in recent years happen to live next to each other. In the fall and early winter of 2007, Dominic Runghen was diagnosed with cancer, his next-door neighbour, Emma Abu-Ata, was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition. And next door to her, young Dejah Milne was diagnosed with cancer.

In a submission letter to the Super Community challenge, the neighbours wrote:

"The most desperate moment in recent history was when we had three families in Children's Hospital. The worst part was that these three children lived in a row, side by side. At a time when everyone should have been at home enjoying the late fall, Halloween and prepping for Christmas, all three households were sitting in BC Children's Hospital fighting for life."

Jim Abu-Ata, his wife Melanie, and their baby daughter Emma were one of the families struggling to get through that holiday season two years ago. Emma had heart surgery when she was just three months old and ended up spending nine months at BC Children's Hospital. She was on a ventilator for six weeks and in an induced coma for two weeks, and would regularly turn blue from shock, terrifying her parents.

When December rolled around, Emma's parents barely gave Christmas a second thought. They were spending every day at the hospital and going home only to sleep.

But one winter night, they came home to a colourful surprise.

"We got home and our Christmas lights were all put up for us. Our neighbours got together and they put up all the lights," said Jim Abu-Ata.

"And whenever it snowed, they would plow our parking stall so we could get in and out. It was pretty amazing to be a part of that."

Abu-Ata, who works for his family's auto parts business, said the community support has been incredible, and is the key reason why his family chooses to live in Eagle Point.

"We did consider leaving at one point because we wanted to move into a house," he said. "But it was heart-breaking to think about leaving. The community feel, to me, is more important than owning a house."

Nuvin Runghen, his wife Conchita, and their son Dominic live next door to the Abu-Ata family. Dominic was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.

"You're powerless when you hear the news," said Runghen, who works as a dog handler with the Canadian Border Services Agency.

But rather than wallowing in grief and helplessness, Runghen decided to act. Impressed by everyone at BC Children's Hospital -- from the doctors to the janitors -- he wanted to show his appreciation.

As a dedicated fan of Manchester United and soccer culture in general, Runghen decided to organize a large one-day soccer tournament that saw members from every corner of his widespread community come out to play. Border guards, investigators, customs officers, and two teams of Eagle Point residents participated in the most recent Childhood Cancer Soccerfest, which has become an annual event.

Jenn Geneve is one of the many neighbours who have helped with fundraising efforts and community get-togethers. She and her husband, David Geneve, moved into the neighbourhood two years ago, and although they don't have kids themselves, she says the Eagle Point kids now feel like part of her own family.

"It's been such an amazing community to be a part of," she said. "From the moment we put our key in the door, we have felt welcome."

Geneve talked about organized street parties and a wine-tasting fundraiser, but the event that moved her most in recent months was an impromptu outdoor party held to cheer up Dejah Milne on a day the family got some bad news.

"The Milne family wanted everyone to come around and have a fun day together," she said.

"So we went from zero to potluck in about two hours."

And as much as Geneve is impressed by the fundraising efforts of her community, she says it's the warmth and generosity of her neighbours that makes it a true "super community."

"Our joke is that you can't take out your garbage or run an errand around the corner without running into five new friends," she said.

While it is certainly unusual to have so many childhood cancer cases clustered in one neighbourhood, Dr. Caron Strahlendorf, an oncologist at BC Children's Hospital, says the cases cannot be attributed to environmental factors. Because each child has a different type of cancer -- and Strahlendorf said they are all very different -- there is little chance they were caused by any common factor such as power lines, poor water quality, or a food additive.

Eagle Point was one of 27 B.C. communities that submitted entries to the Super Community contest. Sue Carruthers, president and CEO of the BC Children's Hospital Foundation, said it was difficult to pick just one winner, but Eagle Point stood out for several reasons.

"The families who live in Port Moody's Eagle Point complex are remarkable. It's clear that the challenges faced by individual members of their community have brought them all closer together," she said.

"Not only are they supporting each other, they seem to have made an unspoken commitment to helping people across B.C. through their support of numerous charities."

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