Latest news with #Macey
The Advertiser
7 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
'It's a pain I wish upon no one': bubbly 9yo Macey in the fight of her life
Macey Rashleigh is so bubbly, the nurses at John Hunter Hospital have been "fighting" over who gets to look after her. Macey, 9, is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday to remove "a very large brain tumour", her dad, Rob Rashleigh, said. "It'll be at least a six-hour surgery to try to remove as much as they can." She is in good spirits and "keeping everyone entertained", as she prepares for the fight of her life. "We have a long road to recovery ahead after surgery," Rob said. Aunt Erin Healey started a GoFundMe, titled "Macey Rashleigh and family", to help ease the family's financial burden. "Watching the pain her parents are going through is a pain I wish upon no one," Erin said. "We would like to make life a little less stressful by helping to ease the financial burden, so her parents can be by her side through the healing process instead of going to work." Erin did not want them to have to "worry about how to pay the rent and other costs associated with this condition". Macey has been in hospital for more than a week, after an MRI revealed the tumour. "It came out of left field. You'd meet her and think there's nothing wrong with her," Rob said. "She's an aspiring gymnast. Her goal is to be in the Olympics." Macey, a pupil at Wiripaang Public School in Gateshead, was diagnosed with one-sided hemiplegic cerebral palsy this year. "Basically, the left side of her body is a bit weaker. That doesn't stop her from being in the gym," Rob said. "It's technically a disability, but she trains hard to grow her strength and technical ability." The tumour may have caused cerebral palsy-like symptoms, which she's had for a long time. Removing the tumour may help reverse them. "It's been ongoing since she was very young. When she started to learn to walk, she was walking into walls," Rob said. The family moved from Melbourne to Newcastle at the end of last year. "At first, they thought she had hip problems. The Victorian health system let us down," Rob said. "It wasn't until we got here to Newcastle that she was diagnosed. Straight away, they said she has cerebral palsy." Doctors ordered a brain scan to "see if they could find any scarring or lesions". "That's how this tumour was found. They're pretty confident it's not cancer, but won't know until they go in there to remove it. "A week after they remove it, they'll know what it is." Rob says Macey has "a very memorable personality". "All the nurses have been fighting over who gets to look after her," he said. "She makes friends with everyone she finds, and she's a very compassionate person. "She'll compliment you on your appearance and the way you dress. She's definitely not your typical nine-year-old." He attributed Macey's bubbly personality to her mum, Tiffany. "They are very similar. She's a very positive person who sees the best in everything," he said. Macey Rashleigh is so bubbly, the nurses at John Hunter Hospital have been "fighting" over who gets to look after her. Macey, 9, is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday to remove "a very large brain tumour", her dad, Rob Rashleigh, said. "It'll be at least a six-hour surgery to try to remove as much as they can." She is in good spirits and "keeping everyone entertained", as she prepares for the fight of her life. "We have a long road to recovery ahead after surgery," Rob said. Aunt Erin Healey started a GoFundMe, titled "Macey Rashleigh and family", to help ease the family's financial burden. "Watching the pain her parents are going through is a pain I wish upon no one," Erin said. "We would like to make life a little less stressful by helping to ease the financial burden, so her parents can be by her side through the healing process instead of going to work." Erin did not want them to have to "worry about how to pay the rent and other costs associated with this condition". Macey has been in hospital for more than a week, after an MRI revealed the tumour. "It came out of left field. You'd meet her and think there's nothing wrong with her," Rob said. "She's an aspiring gymnast. Her goal is to be in the Olympics." Macey, a pupil at Wiripaang Public School in Gateshead, was diagnosed with one-sided hemiplegic cerebral palsy this year. "Basically, the left side of her body is a bit weaker. That doesn't stop her from being in the gym," Rob said. "It's technically a disability, but she trains hard to grow her strength and technical ability." The tumour may have caused cerebral palsy-like symptoms, which she's had for a long time. Removing the tumour may help reverse them. "It's been ongoing since she was very young. When she started to learn to walk, she was walking into walls," Rob said. The family moved from Melbourne to Newcastle at the end of last year. "At first, they thought she had hip problems. The Victorian health system let us down," Rob said. "It wasn't until we got here to Newcastle that she was diagnosed. Straight away, they said she has cerebral palsy." Doctors ordered a brain scan to "see if they could find any scarring or lesions". "That's how this tumour was found. They're pretty confident it's not cancer, but won't know until they go in there to remove it. "A week after they remove it, they'll know what it is." Rob says Macey has "a very memorable personality". "All the nurses have been fighting over who gets to look after her," he said. "She makes friends with everyone she finds, and she's a very compassionate person. "She'll compliment you on your appearance and the way you dress. She's definitely not your typical nine-year-old." He attributed Macey's bubbly personality to her mum, Tiffany. "They are very similar. She's a very positive person who sees the best in everything," he said. Macey Rashleigh is so bubbly, the nurses at John Hunter Hospital have been "fighting" over who gets to look after her. Macey, 9, is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday to remove "a very large brain tumour", her dad, Rob Rashleigh, said. "It'll be at least a six-hour surgery to try to remove as much as they can." She is in good spirits and "keeping everyone entertained", as she prepares for the fight of her life. "We have a long road to recovery ahead after surgery," Rob said. Aunt Erin Healey started a GoFundMe, titled "Macey Rashleigh and family", to help ease the family's financial burden. "Watching the pain her parents are going through is a pain I wish upon no one," Erin said. "We would like to make life a little less stressful by helping to ease the financial burden, so her parents can be by her side through the healing process instead of going to work." Erin did not want them to have to "worry about how to pay the rent and other costs associated with this condition". Macey has been in hospital for more than a week, after an MRI revealed the tumour. "It came out of left field. You'd meet her and think there's nothing wrong with her," Rob said. "She's an aspiring gymnast. Her goal is to be in the Olympics." Macey, a pupil at Wiripaang Public School in Gateshead, was diagnosed with one-sided hemiplegic cerebral palsy this year. "Basically, the left side of her body is a bit weaker. That doesn't stop her from being in the gym," Rob said. "It's technically a disability, but she trains hard to grow her strength and technical ability." The tumour may have caused cerebral palsy-like symptoms, which she's had for a long time. Removing the tumour may help reverse them. "It's been ongoing since she was very young. When she started to learn to walk, she was walking into walls," Rob said. The family moved from Melbourne to Newcastle at the end of last year. "At first, they thought she had hip problems. The Victorian health system let us down," Rob said. "It wasn't until we got here to Newcastle that she was diagnosed. Straight away, they said she has cerebral palsy." Doctors ordered a brain scan to "see if they could find any scarring or lesions". "That's how this tumour was found. They're pretty confident it's not cancer, but won't know until they go in there to remove it. "A week after they remove it, they'll know what it is." Rob says Macey has "a very memorable personality". "All the nurses have been fighting over who gets to look after her," he said. "She makes friends with everyone she finds, and she's a very compassionate person. "She'll compliment you on your appearance and the way you dress. She's definitely not your typical nine-year-old." He attributed Macey's bubbly personality to her mum, Tiffany. "They are very similar. She's a very positive person who sees the best in everything," he said. Macey Rashleigh is so bubbly, the nurses at John Hunter Hospital have been "fighting" over who gets to look after her. Macey, 9, is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday to remove "a very large brain tumour", her dad, Rob Rashleigh, said. "It'll be at least a six-hour surgery to try to remove as much as they can." She is in good spirits and "keeping everyone entertained", as she prepares for the fight of her life. "We have a long road to recovery ahead after surgery," Rob said. Aunt Erin Healey started a GoFundMe, titled "Macey Rashleigh and family", to help ease the family's financial burden. "Watching the pain her parents are going through is a pain I wish upon no one," Erin said. "We would like to make life a little less stressful by helping to ease the financial burden, so her parents can be by her side through the healing process instead of going to work." Erin did not want them to have to "worry about how to pay the rent and other costs associated with this condition". Macey has been in hospital for more than a week, after an MRI revealed the tumour. "It came out of left field. You'd meet her and think there's nothing wrong with her," Rob said. "She's an aspiring gymnast. Her goal is to be in the Olympics." Macey, a pupil at Wiripaang Public School in Gateshead, was diagnosed with one-sided hemiplegic cerebral palsy this year. "Basically, the left side of her body is a bit weaker. That doesn't stop her from being in the gym," Rob said. "It's technically a disability, but she trains hard to grow her strength and technical ability." The tumour may have caused cerebral palsy-like symptoms, which she's had for a long time. Removing the tumour may help reverse them. "It's been ongoing since she was very young. When she started to learn to walk, she was walking into walls," Rob said. The family moved from Melbourne to Newcastle at the end of last year. "At first, they thought she had hip problems. The Victorian health system let us down," Rob said. "It wasn't until we got here to Newcastle that she was diagnosed. Straight away, they said she has cerebral palsy." Doctors ordered a brain scan to "see if they could find any scarring or lesions". "That's how this tumour was found. They're pretty confident it's not cancer, but won't know until they go in there to remove it. "A week after they remove it, they'll know what it is." Rob says Macey has "a very memorable personality". "All the nurses have been fighting over who gets to look after her," he said. "She makes friends with everyone she finds, and she's a very compassionate person. "She'll compliment you on your appearance and the way you dress. She's definitely not your typical nine-year-old." He attributed Macey's bubbly personality to her mum, Tiffany. "They are very similar. She's a very positive person who sees the best in everything," he said.
Vancouver Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Less than half of Toronto residents approve of Mayor Olivia Chow's performance: poll
Less than half of Toronto residents approve of Mayor Olivia Chow's performance, according to a new poll. The Leger survey asked Toronto residents about their mayor as part of a broader poll on Ontario politics. Respondents were almost evenly split over Chow's handling of municipal affairs as she nears the end of her second year at the helm of Canada's largest city. Slightly less than half (48 per cent) of people strongly or somewhat approved of her performance, while 42 per cent said they strongly or somewhat disapproved. Another 10 per cent said they were not sure. 'Torontonians are on the fence about Mayor Chow,' Leger senior vice-president Jennifer McLeod Macey told National Post in an email. 'While the proportion that approve is nominally higher than those that disapprove, approval is soft. Indeed, almost twice as many strongly disapprove as strongly approve.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The poll found that 17 per cent strongly disapprove of Chow's performance, while only 10 per cent said they strongly approve. Macey said that the market research company 'didn't have the opportunity to probe on the 'Why?'' in the latest survey, but she was interested in 'digging deeper into municipal issues, such as taxes, crime and safety, affordable housing, and transit which are all undoubtably having an impact on public opinion.' She found little 'variance' among different demographics in terms of Chow's approval rating, but pointed to 'more uncertainty among women and young-middle-aged adults.' Whereas just six per cent of male respondents were unsure of Chow's job performance, 15 per cent of women were. A similar number of 18 to 34 year olds (14 per cent) and 35 to 54 year olds (15 per cent) were on the fence about Chow's performance as mayor. Greater communication 'on key issues could have a significant impact on overall approval ratings,' Macey said. Chow was elected in July 2023 following the resignation of John Tory over an affair with a political staffer 38 years younger than him. She had previously run for the post in 2014, placing third behind Doug Ford, who went on to become premier of Ontario, and Tory, who became mayor. Months after she was elected, Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Chow has been criticized by some city councillors for failing to protect Toronto's Jewish community. Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford accused Chow of dragging her feet on municipal initiatives to protect local places of worship, notably synagogues that have been picketed by anti-Israel protesters. 'In the fifteen months since October 7, an absence of leadership has turned Toronto into a city that many don't recognize,' Bradford wrote in National Post earlier this year. 'This is not a Jewish problem — it's a Toronto problem. This is about our values and who we want to be as a city. Unfortunately, as we enter 2025, this crisis has been met with a lack of leadership at the highest level.' Last week, news reports suggested that Bradford is aiming to run in the upcoming mayoral election scheduled for late October 2026. Marco Mendicino, a former Liberal cabinet minister and Prime Minister Mark Carney's current chief of staff, is also reportedly considering a run for mayor. When Chow entered office, she boasted a 73 per cent approval rating, according to a poll conducted by Liaison Strategies. However, since then, Chow has seen her approval rating steadily decline. By May 2024, her approval rating had dropped to 52 per cent, according to another Liaison Strategies survey. It went back up to 59 per cent in July, around her one-year anniversary, but it had dropped again to 54 per cent as of November 2024. Over the same time period, her disapproval rating has gone from 18 per cent at the time of her election, to a high of 40 per cent last May, and was sitting at 38 per cent in November. In the May 2024 Liason Strategies survey, Chow's support was strongest in Toronto's downtown core and weakest in the city's farthest reaches, such as Etobicoke. The poll also found that women in the city were slightly more likely to support Chow (58 per cent) than men (50 per cent). Chow inherited a roughly $1 billion budget deficit — a holdover from a pandemic-era shortfall in transit revenue and rising shelter costs — and has struggled to trim expenses. In January, she unveiled the city's new budget featuring a nearly seven per cent tax hike , estimated to cost Toronto homeowners $268 a year. In May, Chow acknowledged the city would require assistance meeting its roughly $40 million goal to fund its share of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which includes six games scheduled to take place in Toronto. 'We can't go and find any more cash, we just don't have it,' the mayor said during a press conference last month. The Leger survey was conducted between May 23 and 25, with an online sample of 1,025 Ontarians, of which 296 were Toronto metropolitan residents. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes.
RTÉ News
31-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Ban on sale of single-use vapes comes into effect in NI
A ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes comes into effect in Northern Ireland today. It means that for a time at least there will be different approaches on both sides of the border. In the Republic, the Government is drafting equivalent legislation, but it is not ready yet. Notification to the EU will also delay implementation for a number of months. The Irish Heart Foundation has said while the situation persists children in the north are being better protected than those in the south and wants the Government to fast-track the law. The cabinet agreed to implement a ban last year, but work was interrupted when the Dáil was dissolved for the election. The new law in Northern Ireland makes it a criminal offence to sell or supply single-use vapes with a maximum penalty of up to two years in jail and a fine. Businesses have been given six months to prepare for the change by selling existing stock. Similar laws are being enacted by devolved administrations in England, Wales and Scotland today too, effectively making it a UK-wide ban. It is estimated that five million disposable vapes are thrown away in the UK every week. Stormont Environment Minister Andrew Muir said it was a "milestone day". He said the Executive had been prompted to act by the environmental and health risks posed by single-use vapes. Many are littered by users, and the product has proven popular with young teenagers who sometimes progress to tobacco products. Paper stickers, which users must remove to activate the vape are routinely stuck on litter bins creating an unsightly mess. There have also been concerns that the multitude of flavours and the branding is marketing the products at children. "The environmental consequences around this are significant. We're also very aware that in terms of disposable vapes they can be much more attractive for younger people, and we want to be able to tackle that," Minister Muir said. Research in Northern Ireland shows that one in five of 11–16-year-olds have tried vapes, even though the legal age for purchase is 18. The Irish Heart Foundation said it had taken a considerable period to get agreement on a single use vapes ban over the line in the Republic, and it now wanted to make sure there was rapid progress. Director of advocacy with the Irish Heart Foundation Chris Macey said: "We're sort of lagging a bit behind. I suppose our concerns is that it took years to get the ban on the sale of vapes to U-18s over the line and we just want to make sure there's no undue delay on this occasion because as long as there is children in this part of the country won't be as well protected as children in the north." Mr Macey added: "Disposable vapes have been a big contributor to the explosion of youth vaping in Ireland and everything that goes with that, the nicotine addiction that is seen by research to be a likely gateway into smoking, which is still killing 12 people a day in Ireland." Mr Macey said research showed that children who vape are three to five times more likely to end up smoking, and statistics showed that around a third of 15-16-year-olds in the Republic have vaped.
RTÉ News
14-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Heart Foundation 'puzzled' by delay on energy drink ban for under-18s
Director of Advocacy and Patient Support with the Irish Heart Foundation, Chris Macey, has said that he is "really puzzled" that a Government decision on banning the sale of energy drinks to under-18s is to be delayed for a public consultation. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said this has been an item of discussion for several years. "There was Government research six years ago highlighting that we've got among the highest consumption of energy drinks in Western Europe. There is plenty of evidence out there on the health harms, some retail chains have even voluntarily restricted sales to children. "And the Government parties were concerned enough about this issue to include it in the programme for government." The legislation, which was introduced by Independent Senator Sharon Keogan, is currently before the Seanad. It defines a stimulant drink as a non-alcoholic beverage for human consumption, which contains more than 80 milligrams of caffeine per litre. The ban on the sale and promotion of these drinks would not cover tea and coffee. The Government agreed to table what is called a timed amendment which will pause any ban for at least 18 months. A Government spokesperson said that a body of work first needs to be carried out to identify any public health concerns and appropriate policy responses. Mr Macey said that there are a lot of different reviews and research studies showing that energy drinks are harmful to mental and physical health of children and young people, as well as their behaviour and education. "Studies have found consumption is associated with various serious adverse effects like seizures, cardiac abnormalities, behavioural disorders, headaches, stomach aches, tiredness, fatigue. And then excess sugar consumption is associated with tooth decay, diabetes and obesity, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke and some common cancers." Mr Macey added that the Irish Heart Foundation does a lot of work in schools on areas like nutrition and physical education. "And teachers have repeatedly highlighted with those that children are consuming energy drinks as breakfast replacements, that they're affecting pupils' mood, well-being, behaviour that there's disruption to classes. "And teachers have also said that pupils are consuming these drinks, both in large quantities and that the age group consuming them is getting lower and lower. "We've got a youth advisory panel that's advised us that we should seek these restrictions on energy drinks." Several EU countries have already restricted the sale of energy drinks, Mr Macey said: Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and outside the EU, the UK Government has promised to ban sales to under 16s. He said it sounds like the process is starting from scratch. "Which is very disappointing given that this has been a policy item or an item of discussion for several years. And as I say, even retailers themselves are taking action and the government hasn't, and isn't planning in the near future to back that up."
CBC
16-03-2025
- CBC
Family calls for justice after First Nations mother victim of hit-and-run
Social Sharing The family of a young woman from Buffalo Point First Nation is calling for justice after the mother of two was hit by a white van and left to die on a Winnipeg road. At least 20 people gathered outside Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre Saturday afternoon, drumming and chanting to demand accountability for 25-year-old Margaret Cobiness Jr., or Macey to her family and friends. Ernest Cobiness Sr., Macey's father, said his daughter was walking just south of Osborne Village on Friday night when two men driving a white van began following her. Macey told her father the vehicle pulled up to her, then drove toward her and knocked her to the ground before running her over and driving away. "She's my youngest one. She's always been my little girl," Ernest Cobiness said. "She was underneath the car and she thought she was gonna die." The family believes Macey was the victim of an attempted kidnapping. A spokesperson for Winnipeg Police said a 25-year-old pedestrian was taken to hospital after officers were called to the 400 block of Mulvey Avenue East, just south of Osborne Station, at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday for reports of a collision. Ernest Cobiness Sr. said his daughter was in critical condition, and the family was expecting her to undergo surgery on Saturday evening after the hit and run left her with several broken bones, including in her pelvis, shoulder and ribs. "It's hard to see my little girl laying there like that in pain and crying," he said. "[But] she wanted to make sure that her voice was heard … her story was heard." "The worst thing we can do is be silent about stuff like this," he said, arguing that not speaking up is staying complacent with crimes against Indigenous women. Members of Morgan's Warriors were among those gathered outside the Health Sciences Centre on Saturday afternoon. The outreach group, named for Morgan Harris and led by members of her family and community, supports women and works to ensure they're not preyed upon. A report from Statistics Canada shows Indigenous women and girls experienced violence rates higher than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Between 2009 and 2021, 490 of Canada's homicide victims were Indigenous women and girls. Macey's hit and run comes weeks after one of her friends was fatally run over in a similar incident, Ernest Cobiness Sr. said. "She thought she was going to be the next one," he said. 'I wish that was me' Macey has been living in Winnipeg, but she and her family are from Buffalo Point First Nation, a community beside the Manitoba-U.S. border about 170 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg. The mother of two was described by her family as a staunch supporter of women's rights. "I never thought my little sister or anybody in my family would get hurt like that," said Kari Cobiness, Macey's older sister, adding she believed the incident was an attempting kidnapping. "Maybe she was gonna be the next Indigenous girl in the landfill," she said. Jerry Daniels, grand chief of the Southern Chiefs' Organization — which represents 32 First Nations in southern Manitoba — said there have been multiple reports over social media of young First Nations women being chased and targeted by men in Winnipeg. While addressing Macey's case on a Facebook post, SCO said it is "clear there are ongoing threats against our citizens," while adding urgent action is needed to address MMIWG2S cases, which has been referred to by the organization as a national emergency. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs referred to Saturday's events on social media as a "horrifying attack," while demanding "real steps" in addressing the violence faced by First Nation women, girls and two-spirit people. "Enough is enough. Our women deserve to be safe," the social media post said. The family received an incident number from Winnipeg police, who told CBC that they continue to investigate the crash. But Ernest Cobiness Sr. said his daughter has little faith the police system will bring justice to her case. "Our people have always been and felt that way, that our women and our people don't mean anything to the justice system or court system … I think that's why a lot of people think they can get away with [what] they're doing," he said. For him, it is important to see his community and supporters, including other men, show up, spread awareness and stand together for justice for women. "I'm thankful that she's alive and she's capable of going to be with us … some other families are not that fortunate and I could never understand how they felt," he said. Macey's mother Margaret Cobiness, who was also at Saturday's rally, said cases like her daughter's happen all too often in Winnipeg. And while Macey survived, she said there was a chance she could have never come back home after Saturday. "I am so sick and tired of the treatment we get here as Indigenous people because it has been going on for so long, too long," she said through tears. "They expect us to walk away from this, I would never walk away from this." "I hope this never happens to anybody, not my kids, not anybody … I wish that was me in there," Margaret Cobiness said.
