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Brendan's Blast for Victoria Day benefits McMaster Children's Hospital by Bob Mitchell Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Friday, May 15, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Brendan Doyle can't wait to go on his endof-the-year school trip to Québec City even though he knows he'll probably end up being nauseous and throwing up. "I'm going to eat so much food it's going to be the greatest thing ever," Doyle, 14, said. "That last day for sure, I'm going to go crazy. "People will just have to deal with me getting sick on the bus ride home. If they can't handle me at my worse then they don't deserve me at my best." The Grade 8 student at Oakville's Pinegrove Elementary School knows he'll get sick because he suffers from a rare disease known as Eosinophilic gastroenteritis -- a name that took him about nine months to learn how to pronounce and essentially causes his body to see many foods as poison. "It's kind of like asthma, but instead of going to the lungs, it goes to the GI system," his mother Donna said. His gastrointestinal (GI) tract basically becomes paralyzed leading to chronic vomiting -- it also results in colitislike symptoms and internal bleeding. Four years ago he was hospitalized for several months and because he always seemed to be sick around the Victoria Brendan Doyle Day weekend, his parents promised him they would have fireworks at their home when he was released. They did and the event has grown each year to a street party called Brendan's Blast. The fourth annual edition will be held Saturday (May 16) from 6-10 p.m. on Willard Street. This year's event will have a bouncey castle, face painting, live music, a fire truck display, a portable skateboard park with demos by professional boarders and, of course, fireworks. Donations are accepted at the event and money goes to McMaster Children's Hospital's Pediatric GI Department (Dr. Robert Issenman) research into Crohn's, colitis and allergies. More than $9,000 has been raised to date. Brendan's illness surfaced when he was about five and became severely ill in 2007. Doctors thought he had colitis, then a bowel obstruction and planned to remove part of his bowel and put him on very serious medication. It took nine years for an accurate diagnosis. At one point, before it was determined it was connected to specific foods and not colitis, he would vomit up to 100 times a day, which resulted in a feeding tube being inserted through his nose so he could receive nourishment. "It ended up being the best thing that could have happened because it allowed his body to (return to) its normal base line," Donna said. see Teen on p.10 A STEP BEYOND IN CARE Do you have: · Foot/Arch Pain? · Ingrown Toenails? · Diabetes? · Swollen Ankles? · Corns, Calluses? Oakview Funeral Home: a special place to remember You are unique. Your loved ones are unique. So at your time of need or when planning ahead, rely on our specialists to provide everything you need to create a one-of-a-kind remembrance. Salima Kassam Reg. Chiropodist Call for an appointment 905-632-1414 728 Burloak Drive www.footandhealthclinic.com Call us today for or a FREE Planning Kit! 905-842-2252 905-842-2252 Look for us on Facebook Visit www.oakviewfuneral.ca for a virtual tour of our funeral home. by Arbor Memorial 56 Lakeshore Road, W., Oakville Arbor Memorial Inc. Oakview Funeral Home Family Owned. Proudly Canadian. The Body Shaping Fitness Studio For Women SPeCIal 4 MontH SuMMer MeMberSHIP May 1 ­ SePt 1 Summer Memberships Students & Seniors *All classes included. For our clients, their guests and prospective clients Lunch, Learn & Enjoy $ $ 199 149 Tax Issues and What You Need to Know Presented by: Vinay Khosla, M.Acc., CPA, CA Tax Partner, Bateman MacKay LLP Snowbirds Beware Tuesday, June 2 · 12 ­ 1pm Ideal ProteIn ClInIC Ideal Protein... a Quick, Healthy & Fun weight loss program for Men and Women! no exercise required! largest product seletion in oakville! no Consultation or Weigh in Fees! Holiday Inn: 590 Argus Road, Oakville (Southwest of Trafalgar Road and the QEW) 183 Lakeshore Road W., Oakville | 905.849.1919 | www.bodyshapingstudio.com RSVP 905.842.2100 ext. 2