Oliver family thrown into chaos

Four-year-old diagnosed with leukemia, community rallies

In less than one week, four-year-old Autumn Rehbein’s life – and that of her family and friends – has been thrown entirely into chaos.

"If anybody ever met her, they never forget her," said Sharon Jesus, close friend of the family. "She has sky-blue eyes, white-blonde hair, in ringlets. She’s like a little angel."

Last weekend, Autumn, her eight-year-old sister, Maddison, mom Chellae and dad, Mike Rehbein, were camping with the Jesus family.

Only two days later, on Tuesday, Sept. 14, Autumn was diagnosed with leukemia – and her life – and the life of everyone around her – has changed.

"Autumn has been suffering from fevers for two or three months, every week or two," reports her mom, via email. "She seemed to get warm when she was excited. We thought she was just fighting a flu bug, and Tylenol would always bring it down."

But the fevers became more and more frequent, so the family made a doctor’s appointment. Before they could make it to the appointment, one of Autumn’s fevers didn’t ease. On Tuesday afternoon, they made a trip to South Okanagan General Hospital’s emergency room. She was tested for urinary tract and throat infections, both of which came back negative.

"We were told to take her home and control the fever with a combination of Tylenol and Advil," said Chellae.

But by 9 p.m., the fever was up to 40 C and at 10 p.m., the medicine wasn’t helping.

"Her skin looked awful (yellowish) and she didn’t want to get out of bed."

Chellae, and Chris Rehbein (Mike’s mother) took Autumn to Penticton’s emergency room.

"By the time we arrived, Autumn had developed large red spots, which we later learned were bruises from her lack of platelets. The emergency doctor quickly called in two pediatricians, who within an hour sat (us) down to tell (us) that Autumn had a low platelet count, a low white blood cell count, and a severe case of anemia, and that all these things put together most likely meant she had leukemia."

Chellae and Autumn were transported by air ambulance to Vancouver Children’s Hospital that same night.

"The oncologist confirmed that Autumn did have leukemia, and by Wednesday afternoon she had a spinal tap, a bone marrow biopsy, and her first treatment of chemotherapy. Autumn was diagnosed with A.L.L. (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) type B. This is the best to be diagnosed with. It’s the most treatable type of leukemia, with an 85-90 per cent success rate."

The Rehbein family is well-known around town. Mike was born and raised here, and when he married Chellae they moved here to set down more roots, said Sharon.

"They owned and operated Pik a Flik (video store); Chellae owned and operated Happy Hoppers Daycare." She was often seen pushing a stroller, with a number of young children along.

"Mike drove school bus, and was a school custodian. Chellae taught soccer to five and six-year olds," listed Sharon, who is trying to rally community support for the family.

"Mike and Chellae have been told they will have to relocate (to Vancouver) for three years for Autumn’s treatment. This tragedy has changed their lives in every aspect."

Eight-year-old Maddison is now attending school in the Lower Mainland. Chellae has closed down her daycare, and Mike is unable to carry on with his job at the school. As far as they know, he does not yet qualify for any sort of benefits or financial safety net from his work.

"The last thing we want them to worry about is money," said Sharon. She and several others are starting a trust fund, to try to raise a little bit to help the family through. Beverly Pottinger is putting the wheels in motion for a winter silent auction, dinner and dance fundraiser. Pat Somerville – who worked with Mike - is also rallying help, talking to various community groups and friends.

"If Chellae had heard about this about another family, she would have been down there fast, putting her money in. I know she would," Sharon said.

She is challenging every working family to donate what they can to help ease the burden for the Rehbeins.

"Once you stop helping other people, you’ve lost what you are living for," she said. "I kiss my kids every night, and watch them sleep on their pillows. Chellae doesn’t have that luxury … she doesn’t know when she is going to get to kiss her daughter in her own bed again."

For the next three months, the family will be essentially living at the hospital, focused on helping their daughter heal.

"Autumn has continued with her chemotherapy, which has involved some pretty harsh drugs, and she has been experiencing most of the normal side effects," said Chellae’s email. "We are only into the first week … she has kept her spirit that anyone who knows her, loves … she has already had some hard times in her day (vomiting and being in some pain with IVs and such). She still manages to find those contagious smiles that she has."

Anyone looking for more information, or who can help, is welcome to call Sharon, at 498-0512, Pat, at 498-2148, or Beverly, at 498-2499. Donations can be dropped off at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Valley First Credit Union, Interior Savings Credit Union, or the Medicine Centre. Notes or cards can be sent to Box 401, in Oliver.

School district partners, takes steps to improve Aboriginal education

Aboriginal advisory council established

"History has not been kind to the Aboriginal People," stated MLA Harry Lali as he addressed an auditorium full of culturally diverse people. "Exclusion and assimilation of the aboriginals in education and employment was part of our social fabric; and we (the Province) would like to ensure that what happened in the past never happens again."

Through a collective agreement to work together, the Ministry of Education, the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), the Upper and Lower Similkameen Indian Bands and School District 53 will work towards building mutual respect, strengths and purposes that will result in a positive outcome for all Aboriginal students in School District 53.

With that in mind, an Enhancement Agreement to help Aboriginal students was signed in Keremeos on September 12, at the Similkameen Elementary Secondary School. Claudia Roch, Ministry of Education, chief Joe Dennis, from the Lower Similkameen Indian Band (LSIB), chief Rick Holmes, Upper Similkameen Indian Band (USIB), chief Clarence Louie, Osoyoos Indian Band, and June Harrington, board chairperson for School District 53, signed the agreement. It is the 29^th agreement to be signed in BC.

"It’s rare that you can get two bands to agree on anything never mind three, then mix in some white people and actually come up with an agreement," said Louie, about the agreement.

"This is a stepping stone to a better future for our children," Holmes said as he gave special thanks to Jim Insley (SD 53 assistant superintendent) for his quest for better education for First Nations children. "He (Insley) started implementing concrete measures and goals to be set out in the agreement for a better education and future for our children."

"The enhancement agreement process began with a meeting of the three chiefs in February 2005 and the first committee meeting was held in March 2005, by November, we had a pretty secure draft to present," said Insley. "After more meetings and a few changes, the final approval (for the agreement) came a week before the signing."

The enhancement agreement committee consisted of Insley, Charlotte Mitchell, USIB Education coordinator, Joanne Dennis, LSIB Education coordinator, Cecila George, OIB Education coordinator, Yvonne Weinert, council member for OIB, Phillippe Batini, USI Band manager, Chris Soare, SB trustee from Oliver, Miranda Squakins, USIB council member and Phil Rathjen, Vice Principal at Oliver Elementary School and members from the Ministry of Education.

"This agreement is a result of the School District and three Indian bands working together to improve education for Aboriginal students," said Harrington. "It provides Aboriginal parents and communities with a voice in the district’s decision-making process and the Ministry of Education will continue to work on improving circumstances for Aboriginal children and strengthen the vibrancy of our community."

The agreement’s focus will be to improve Aboriginal students’ academic achievement by establishing an Aboriginal advisory council made up of members from the three Indian bands, the school district staff and parents and students from the school community.

The advisory council will focus on five goals, improvements in Aboriginal preschoolers’ readiness for kindergarten and increasing academic achievement from pre-kindergarten level to graduation. To improve the numbers for student transition, class retention and success rates for Aboriginal students in grades eight to twelve. To increase students’ knowledge and appreciation of their Aboriginal culture, language and heritage and improvements of all students’ social responsibility in helping Aboriginal students feel like they belong to the school community.

"And it’s not just for the Aboriginals on the reserves, this agreement includes other Aboriginal groups, such as the Metes who live off the reserves," said Insley.

According to a news release from the Ministry of Education issued Sept. 12, the Province provides $45 million a year, $950 per student for Aboriginal Education. The funds are used to support Aboriginal language and cultural programs, support service programs and other localized Aboriginal educational programs. "This agreement will give the Aboriginal communities a voice in what we do with the funding," said Insley.

Superintendent Juleen McElgunn, Chief Dennis and education coordinator Joanne Dennis also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a local Education Agreement. "We all want children to be successful from kindergarten to graduating grade twelve," said McElgunn. "For them to be successful and moving on in life and to be the person they want to be."

Insley presented a leather medicine pouch to each of the signing committee. "The pouches have a piece of sage in them and is a sacred gift among the Aboriginals," said Insley. The medicine pouches were made by Helen Gallagher.

Gallagher, the District Aboriginal teacher will be working between the three bands, the schools and school board to ensure the initiatives of the agreement are being carried out. "This way, we can measure academic achievement for Aboriginal students and determine strategies to achieve this," said Insley.

"Historically, statistics show once you get beyond words, the proof will be in the numbers," said Chief Louie. "Will there be the same amount of natives graduating as non-aboriginals?"

During the signing ceremony a special presentation was made to Teresa Dennis, a pioneer in teaching Okanagan, who retired last year. Dennis helped to create the Okanagan language curriculum for local schools and continues to work on the school board council. After addressing the assembly in Okanagan and English, Dennis commented "this is a great moment for our children and our children’s children."

After the signing ceremony, the United Spirit Dancers, a group of young natives, performed colourful native dancing and then all the people joined in to take part in the Friendship Dance. The dancing was followed by a celebration dinner of baked salmon, Indian stew ham and Indian bread bannock, along with a variety of fruits and vegetables. A closing prayer followed desert of cake and Indian ice cream.

Town’s new design panel to help develop future appearance

After talking for just a few minutes with town planner Brad Elenko and town councillor Marji Basso, their evident passion for the continued success of the Town of Oliver becomes contagious. They draw you in to a vision for the future of Oliver which is bright but not blinding, ambitious, but not unachievable, beautiful, but not vain.

Any clear goal needs a clear plan of action, and the goal for this Town’s growth is stated in the Community Planning link on the Town’s website: "To develop economic prosperity in Oliver."

Enter the plan. Oliver Town Council developed a set of design guidelines, stated in the Oliver Community Plan (OCP) in 2003, when the OCP itself was instated. The statute however, is fairly vague and while it provides specific enough limitations, it’s not inspiring to alternate ideas and plans.

Oliver Council has recognized the general challenges arising as a result of the ambiguity of the guidelines and now is planning to remedy the situation with an official design panel.

The panel will be made up of volunteers, said Basso.

"Local people who have a vested interest in the Town," she said.

The inoculation of the official design panel should be more than underway by mid to late October. The panel is to be made up of five main members, and up to five "alternate" members, as stated in the official terms of reference. Duties and obligations will include reviewing any development plans submitted to Council, and offering formal recommendations of changes to anything that does not meet the design guidelines. This includes architecture, colours, materials used, landscaping, parking, light placements, signage, accessibility, health, and safety.

Panel members are to be appointed for two and three-year terms, and the structure of the panel will include a chairperson and vice-chair person, as well as a secretary. The chair and vice-chair will be appointed by election of the panel, and subsequent meetings will be held on a regular basis, at a time and date agreeable for everyone involved. The secretary, appointed by the municipal manager, or the chairperson, will call any other meetings necessary. The panel will be responsible to a "designated representative of the Town of Oliver," as stated in the terms of reference.

To ensure unbiased recommendations and lack of conflicting interests, panel members will at no time be meeting with developers, or representatives of developers in reference to applications for development beyond planned panel meetings.

Elenko hopes to build a panel that is diverse and well rounded, that includes members with areas of expertise in the specifically stated guidelines as well as drive and consideration for the good of the community as a whole.

Specifically, "People who have a certain professional conscience."

Design panels are not entirely foreign to the Okanagan Valley, and though Elenko proudly alleges that Oliver, with the inception of the panel, will be on the "cutting edge", you can see evidence of such panels in Osoyoos, since the early 1990s, and in Kelowna, as well since sometime in the 1980s.

The obvious purpose of the design panel is "to enhance the quality of development in Oliver," said Elenko, and Basso adds that they want to "give direction to the developer."

That said, Elenko is keeping in mind the challenges presented by establishing a more specific vision for the look of future developments in Town.

"It’s tough. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he acknowledges.

The design panel is not going to be available only to new construction and development applications. Basso and Elenko intend it to be used as a tool for any business considering changing their storefront or expanding their business space. Free access to the panel and its input will be available to anyone who is interested in the services they will provide.

As for immediate noticeable effects on the Town and Rural areas, Elenko is confident of the positive effects of the panel.

"I have no doubt quality of development in Oliver will be better, one year from now."

A worthy effort\

What a terrible moment it must have been for the parents of young Autumn Rehbein to be told that their daughter has leukemia. Can there be anyone in the community whose heart does not go out to Mike and Chellae?

Our medical system will provide the best possible care and at no cost to the family but it will do nothing to assist the family in providing the care and comfort a young child will need in a distant city. The family must move to be near Autumn giving up their jobs and local support network.

Autumn has a very good chance of recovery but it will take years of care to ensure this outcome. The efforts of the Rehbeins’ friends to set up financial support of the family is a worthy one. Worthy of support by the rest of us so the parents can give their young daughter the emotional support only they can provide by being with her.