OTTAWA – Radio station CFRA and talk show host Lowell Green told listeners yesterday that a fundraising effort to send a seriously ill two-year-old Petawawa boy to a hospital in Cincinnati has topped the $100,000 mark.
Aiden Russelle has multiple health issues including heart, liver and intestinal problems. He is in an Ottawa hospital now but thanks to the money raised will now be able to get specialized surgery in Ohio to remove a tracheal tube, and his parents say it will lead him much closer to a near-normal life, says CFRA.
“The early response actually moved thick-skinned radio veteran Lowell Green to tears during the course of his show last Friday,” said a CFRA press release.
“I’m amazed, but I’m not surprised by CFRA listeners,” says Green. “I’ve always said one person can only do so much, but when my listeners decide to work together and get something done, it really gets done.”
Donation pledges flooded the radio station by telephone, email, fax and with people dropping off cheques and cash at the CHUM Market Media Mall on George Street.
The donations are being handled by the Pembroke/Petawawa Lions Club, which is working with the family to assess Aiden’s longer-term financial and medical needs.
For More information, contact Steve Winogron, assistant program director, CHUM Radio – CFRA Ottawa, (613) 789-2486, ext. 4219 or steve@chumottawa.com.
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