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Letters, Week of July 24

Reader saddened by painful death Sir: I was shocked, saddened and disappointed when I read Shelley Smith's letter about her mom's "physician assisted dying.

Reader saddened by painful death

Sir: I was shocked, saddened and disappointed when I read Shelley Smith's letter about her mom's "physician assisted dying."

I don't know if it was a lack of communication or misunderstanding but it sounds just terrible. I applaud her for bringing it to our attention.

First of all, where was the physician? Was a doctor or a nurse there to help her and her family get through this and to explain what was happening and what to expect?

Was it poor communication, or were Shelley and her family so distraught that they failed to understand what was going to happen.

Perhaps her mother was unable to tolerate or take the meds or food or water. I imagine this must happen when a person is near death. Certainly they should have been able to control the pain.

I just hope that the family can get some answers to all their questions and some relief, knowing that in the end they did the right thing.  It is truly a tough memory to live with, but perhaps time and all the good memories will help to erase it.

Sincerely

 Ann Horodyski

Sarnia

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Do you know Ken Porter?

Sir: I am seeking help in finding a person named Ken F. Porter, or possibly a close relative.

To my understanding, Ken was born and raised at 457 Wellington St. in Sarnia. At some point in his life he moved to London, Ont. and lived at a couple of different locations. I also believe he may have studied dentistry at the University of Toronto.

I am asking for help because during renovations to my home a collection of letters was discovered dating from the early-to-mid 1940s and belonging to Mr. Porter. The letters are from friends and family, and I would like to return them to the owner or his family.

My efforts to locate Mr. Porter thus far have yielded some success (with thanks to the Miller family), but I have hit a dead end and need help.

If you know Mr. Porter or any of his relatives, please contact me, so that I may return these personal letters.

I can be reached at 519-777-9196. Many thanks.

 Jeff Buchanan

London

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Bravo to new Sting GM

Sir: After an unsuccessful season in 2013-14 the Sarnia Sting had the privilege of selecting first in both the Ontario Hockey League entry draft and the import draft.

The draft allows teams lower in the standings to choose the higher-rated players to help them improve in the future. The league has ruled that you cannot trade your 1st round selection in either draft, so the system has a chance to achieve its intended purpose.

In the last few seasons, some highly rated players have indicated they were not interested in playing in the Canadian Hockey League, but favoured U.S. colleges. Sometimes these players are drafted much below their ranking and later are “convinced “ to play in the CHL. In reality, these players are picking where they will play. Now, player agents in the import draft are saying, “Don’t draft my player.”  I suspect the reason is they have made “ arrangements” where they will play.

In the OHL draft, Sarnia selected the player they believe will most improve the team, defenceman Jakub Chychrun. Jakub is signed and will play for the Sting this season. In the import draft, Czech forward Pavel Zacha was chosen for the same reason. His agent has indicated that Zacha will not play for the Sting.

Congrats to the Sting and General Manager Nick Sinclair for standing up and saying, if you wish to play in the CHL, welcome! Just follow the rules.

The Sarnia Sting have had several recent players selected in the 1st round of the NHL draft, including Stamkos, Yakupov, Galchenyuk, DeAngelo and Goldobin.

Proof you can play in small-market towns and make it.

Paul Wilkins

Point Edward

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 Photo set dangerous example

Sir: Regarding the July 17th photo on the front page of The Sarnia Journal titled "Beach Boys," I can't believe that you would encourage children to bury themselves in the sand.

Displaying such a photo on the front page of this newspaper is irresponsible. Children like to copy/emulate what others do and may not understand/read that this specific child was not completely buried in sand and had his parents present.

This is an extremely dangerous practice and many a child and/or adult have suffocated themselves by doing so.

Please warn parents to teach their children the dangers of burying themselves in the sand.

Richard Bourque

Sarnia


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