Weyburn resident Gail Mehler was presented with the prestigious Breath of Life award by the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Friday night at an awards ceremony in Montreal.
Mehler was nominated by her local South Saskatchewan CF chapter for the national award, which recognizes the efforts of individuals or couples who have made an outstanding contribution of a lasting nature in a CF chapter. Only a handful of people from the South Saskatchewan chapter have won the Breath of Life.
For the past four years, Gail has been a member of the national board and executive committee of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where she spent countless hours on policy development and pouring over the many letters sent to the foundation. She only recently finished her term on the executive committee.
Gail has also served as past chair of the national awards committee, and acted as president of her local chapter.
Her involvement in the CF community began 15 years ago, when she and husband Rocky were told their daughter Alison had Cystic Fibrosis.
"Different people respond in different ways. It's a terminal disease, and there's not a whole lot you can do about it outside of prevention. So we looked for a way to channel our anger and frustration. We were introduced to a CF chapter, and jumped in with both feet," Gail said.
"The only way we will be able to beat this disease is through research, and that requires a lot of money. We got involved (in fund-raising) to combat the negativity of the diagnosis - it's the only way we could make a difference."
A special fund-raising event called the Moonwalk for Cystic Fibrosis will be held in Weyburn on May 30. Pledge forms and more information are available at Best Value in the Weyburn Square Mall.
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