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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Dunedin Lanes
405 Patricia Ave, Dunedin, FL
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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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Florida Auto Exchange Stadium
373 Douglas Ave, Dunedin, FL
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Joe Kurtzke
9:14 am on Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The death of anyone impacts those around them, but when it is the death of a child it makes an even greater impact in many cases as one has to question why. Sadly we are seeing more an more stories of Cancer, ALS, Alzheimers and other Critical Illness related deaths and more of them are hitting the younger population than ever. Whether it is a matter of lifestyle or something else it is something… more ›