Mackenzie Queen spent a couple of hours here on Saturday reaching into a container of ice cream – to a point where she was hitting rock bottom.
But for her, every inch lower into that container was a step closer to her goal of competing in the World Transplant games running Aug. 22 to 30. And the ice cream she was scooping was called Gold Medal, a combination of chocolate and a couple of others flavours that customers at the Village Sweet Shop were happily sampling.
The name is apt for two reasons. First, gold is what she will be trying for, and second, the World Transplant Games are held on the Gold Coast in Australia this year.
Throughout July, shop owner Leah Youngblut has been giving over space on Saturdays to help Queen in her quest.
The Games are a celebration of life and provide living proof that organ and tissue donation works and allows recipients to return to a productive life. It has for Queen, who does a lot of smiling, despite all the health problems she has had in her short lifetime.
At age 3, she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was treated with chemotherapy and she defeated it – only to start suffering heart problems at age 5 – brought on by the chemotherapy that fought her first illness.
Last year, at 14, on June 24, she had a heart transplant.
So how did she find out about the World Transplant Games?
Queen smiled and said, “They told me last year when I was waiting for my heart.
The Games will attract up to 2,000 participants from about 50 countries, and will feature 14 Sports, such as swimming, table tennis, badminton, lawn bowling, cycling, and volleyball. The Games offer a village style atmosphere with family style apartments close to the venues, a beach, and shops. It is close to the internationally renowned Royal Pines Golf Course, which hosts the Ladies Masters in Australia. The Games have been operating for 25 years. The first ones were held in Portsmouth in 1978, with teams from France, Germany, Greece, and the United States taking part.
Queen lives in Guelph and spends every day there biking from one end of the city to the other in preparation for the Games. She said the trip each day is 23km, which will give her good preparation for the Games. She will be competing in the 5km and 20km bike races down under.
Allison and Robb, her parents, and her brother, Dustin, 13, and her sister, Kennedy, 8, will be leaving for Australia with her on Aug. 18. Their 23-hour flight will allow her two days to overcome jet lag and to get ready for her first races.
She already has special shoes for the race, which can connect to the pedals of her bike.
Queen ended up selling ice cream in Rockwood to pay for her trip because Jamie Gusba lives there. He was her grade 9 science teacher at J.F Ross Collegiate in Guelph. He admires Queen’s determination to overcome her health problems.
Youngblut was happy to set up Queen in her store for two hours each Saturday, starting at noon. Gold Medal ice cream cones are $3 and she said the London Ice Cream Company that created it is donating it so Queen gets to keep a large amount of the sales.
Youngblut said local musicians also stop by and provide free entertainment during the sales, which were brisk on Saturday. The store is also collecting donations for the Queens, and anyone who wants to help can drop by and make a donation. For directions and store hours, donors and ice cream lovers can visit www.thevillagesweetship.ca.
