Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my Member’s statement today to further talk about the transplant policy I raised before. The reason I want to talk about it is because certainly things aren’t going very well. I think our Territory, I believe in it very strongly and I believe in the passion people have who work here and develop policy, but as I talked about it before, we need respite for mothers or perhaps fathers that are sitting by their child’s side through these horrible processes, but we don’t have a policy that occasionally unites the family through those special visits.
I can tell you many times over, that when this particular family had the father flying down and the children in tow, that the little boy there sparkled in a way that the fire was back. I also talked about the time, at the time about a month or two months ago, about how we need a policy that, if dark days happen, when that phone call comes in the middle of the night, that we have a government that shows the empathy for the particular situation and unites the family if that flicker goes out for the final time.
Mr. Speaker, I am speaking today because the call did come this morning. Of course, they scurried as quickly as possible to put their affairs in order to get to Edmonton. It is a very difficult statement to talk about. This little boy is a wonderful little boy. I can tell you the last 10 weeks have been a significant blessing to have every extra minute with him around with his mother and his brother and sister and certainly his father. Many people in this community have come together through a fundraiser last night, on Saturday, to raise money. Even McDonald’s through the Ronald McDonald House, which is the pin I’m wearing right now... Sorry; local McDonald’s has raised money for the Edmonton Ronald McDonald House to donate so they can make sure that they can have families together through these trying times, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, every moment has been a gift. I will certainly be asking the Minister during question period today that although we know we can’t have broad, sweeping policy change just here and there, some days I really wish we could, but I will be asking the Minister, would she be willing to at least take a look at this to see if we can create a strategy over the long haul, if this is something we can do to make sure we can have families together as often as possible during these difficult times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
