Good Neighbors

How a Dunedin Mom Who Lost Her Son to Cancer is Giving Back

A Dunedin mother inspired by the loss of her 5-year-old son Mathew turned to Dunedin Lanes in January to help raise money for care packages for Florida families at their children's hospital bedsides.

Editor's note: This story originally ran in January. We're putting it in the spotlight again to highlight the accomplishments one person can make.   When Karen Gliddon was at the hospital with her cancer-stricken son, the last thing on her mind was leaving his side to get a toothbrush. "I didn't want to leave Mathew for a second," the Dunedin mother said, holding back emotion while her 2-year-old daughter Molli doodled on a piece of paper nearby. It's a topic she has a tough time talking about, but she insists, because she feels it is important. Mathew, her firstborn of three children, battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia from the time he was 2 until succumbing at the age of 5. Molli hadn't even been born yet. Gliddon's younger son Andrew …

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What to Know for Cricketers 'Cut Cancer Out' Parking Lot Party This Weekend

A full weekend of live music, hair cuts and dunk tanks, capped off with a Cancer Walk on the Dunedin Causeway all benefit the Children's Cancer Center of Tampa and the The Morton Plant Foundation's Mammogram Voucher Program.

Cricketer's "Cut Cancer Out" parking lot party kicks off today in Causeway Plaza. The three-day event features live bands, a beer truck, dunk tanks, face-painting, kids activities and raffles. On Sunday, the last day, the event is capped with a fundraiser Dunedin Causeway Cancer Walk at 4:30 p.m..  Friday, Oct. 5: Hair Drive for Angel Hair, featuring complimentary cuts by Salon De Andrade & Friends. Donate hair and you'll receive five raffle tickets. Live music: Gold-n-Fire at 6 p.m. and Strange Brew at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6: Dunk Tank contest; lots of raffles for kids and adults. Enter for $10 donation. Live music: Crossroads at 3 p.m. and Hope Darling at 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7: Causeway Cancer Walk at 4:30 p.m. ($30). Live music: Ron & …

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Health Tips for Cancer Survivors

Local doctors provide tips and resources for life after cancer.

Today is National Cancer Survivors Day.  The American Institute of Cancer Research estimates that there are approximately 11 million cancer survivors in the United States alone. The holiday honors those who have bravely battled the disease and provides hope for those who are still fighting cancer all over the world. “Many hear the word ‘cancer’ and think it is a death sentence,” said Randy Kahn, M.D., FACRO, of Tampa Bay Radiation Oncology. “But, with advancements being made daily related to treatment, detection and prevention, this is certainly not always the case. National Cancer Survivors Day serves as a great opportunity to celebrate the strength of cancer survivors and highlight the need for continued support for these survivors after…

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Beso Family Remembers Late Visitor

Dozens line pier to reflect on young Jacob McConahay's life during sunset candlelight vigil.

Dozens of people lined the pier around sunset at Beso Del Sol Resort on Nov. 18. They gathered to remember a young Indiana visitor Jacob McConahay, who passed away of cancer in August. His grandparents, Dave and Lynn McConahay, who lease a home in Dunedin, were back in town to see a memorial installed on the pier at the resort, where Jake's final wish was to vacation with his family.  The memorial features a small statuette of a boy fishing, facing the sunset, and a wooden plaque that the family had made for the resort. "To Our Beso Family In Memory of Jacob McConahay 2011," the plaque reads. During his diagnosis Jake, 7, initiated a campaign to put Pillow Pets in the hands of sick children to help them feel better. His goal was to have 1,…

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This Florida Life

Reflecting at 'Relay for Life' Helps Heal An Old Reporter's Heart

Citizen turns the camera on the editor as she remembers a young cancer patient.

You know it’s real when you get chills under the sweltering sun of an 80-degree evening. I spent a good chunk of my Friday volunteering my humble photography skills for Dunedin’s Relay for Life. Folks sign up in teams to raise money for the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and then walk laps all around Florida Auto Exchange Stadium all night long. The event is known for its moving luminaria ceremony, in which walkers craft paper bags honoring loved ones impacted by cancer. The field lights go out, and the track is illuminated with the handcrafted bags. Everyone walks a lap in silence. The City of Dunedin coordinates with the Dunedin Blue Jays to put on the event every year. Friday was my first Relay for Life event, and it gave …

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