My name is Regina—they call me Just Gina. I am the 6th of 11 children, born in Buffalo, New York, and we moved to Canada in 1967.

I was just 5-years old when my brother came running into our home on a very blizzardy day in January of 1968, merely four months after we moved to Canada to be “safer”. He screamed to my Mom that my 3 sisters were in a terrible car accident, although Lisa was actually still in bed.

My Mom threw a coat over her pyjamas and rain boots onto her bare feet—readily available clothing, but not nearly what the forecast required. She ran the distance to the scene, being about a half kilometre from our front door, and there she faced a parent’s worst nightmare. Easily recognizable by the matching ski jackets and hats the Dee girls were given at Christmas, she spotted Betsy and Darcy being feverishly worked on by the attending paramedics.

Darcy was pronounced dead at the scene and my recollection of the story was that my Mom slapped the paramedic and informed him he was not God. This prompted expedited maneuvers to get both into the ambulance and on to the hospital.

In the next seven years, our family dynamics changed, were challenged, and this forced us to persevere at all costs. And costs we incurred. The net result is how we morphed into the cohesive team we are today.  Brothers and sisters, partners, caregivers, doers and, most notably, friends.

Darcy is my big sister, I have fond memories of walking her to church back in the day when she managed on crutches. I remember the tomboy battles I got myself into when people stared at her or poked fun at her “differences”. I learned acceptance, adaptation, diversity and empathy long before I could spell those words.

Cut to now….

I am a Projects Director with a design/engineering background for a very high stress, fast paced corporation in Toronto, Canada. I manage a group of people, a series of projects and a litany of time, schedules and budgets.

So in conversing with Darcy over the years as to what constituted “good-life”, we brainstormed about the “Darcy House”. I am in construction, I know how to build, I know how to have fun and I know what family is – so building the Darcy House will be easy – right?

Darcy’s health has been constantly challenged; being hit a 2nd time by a pickup truck in 2011, breast cancer diagnosis in 2014 and most recently an extended hospital stay with pneumonia creating now a chronic choking hazard. These combined afflictions have made it necessary for Darcy to have full time care.

At just 57-years of age, with the mind energy of a perky 16-year old, she should hardly be relegated to a seniors’ convalescence home. It is safe, the food is healthy, the atmosphere is pleasant and the location is serene. All that is missing is LIFE.

RABIT will be the fix, we promised each other. We will create community housing. We will add thriving, stimulating, thought provoking activities for Darcy and others daily.

We just need to raise 2 million dollars and to date, my lottery ticket purchasing has not paid off.

We launched the revised plan in small bites, reachable steps, measurable smart goals: RABIT for Darcy Day Programs. Let’s get Darcy away from the mundane and into mainstream.

Art classes, pet therapy, music therapy, nature hikes, games and challenges. Spice this up with monthly outings to zoos, museums, shopping malls. The ideas and lists are endless now.

RABIT has attracted the most amazing volunteers from 14 to 60 and with each little ray of encouragement, we can make stuff happen. Let’s get the TV turned off and the minds and spirits turned on.

I’m in—are you?