Hi, my name is Tracey McMeeken and a friend of mine, Corey Leno, has recently been diagnosed with a very serious medical condition. Not only is he a friend, but he is also a co-worker that I have worked closely with for the last 29 years. I am starting this fundraiser to assist Corey and his family as he was recently diagnosed with a brain tumour called a Glioblastoma, which is a very aggressive form of brain cancer. Glioblastomas are fast-growing and can invade and destroy healthy cells. There is currently no cure for Glioblastomas but treatment can slow cancer growth and reduce symptoms. Before I get into the details about Corey's condition, let me tell you a little bit about him... Corey is a very PASSIONATE person. He is always positive, smiling and VERY energetic. In fact, I have often wondered what he puts in his coffee every morning! LOL. He is a kind and caring person, a loving husband and a proud father of 2 amazing adult children Nick and Madison. Corey is a very talented performer. You may have seen him in previous years singing in a choir, or performing in a local theatre production. in 2011 you may have seen him perform in BURGER TOWN. In 2018 you may have seen him as the Scarecrow in The WIZARD OF OZ! He was fabulous in both performances. I'm sure he would have done more but his work life also kept him very busy. Corey started working at Regal Rexnord (you may remember us as LEESON CANADA) at a very young age. He spent the last 29 years learning all he could about the electric motor industry and co-workers and customers alike are often in awe at the extent of his knowledge, not to mention his uncanny ability to recall part numbers and details of customer orders long since forgotten by others (well me anyway!) He has been instrumental in the success of the CUSTOM PDQ business. We can tell that he misses being in the thick of things as he still sends positive messages to our morning meeting, thanking everyone for their "Time and Talent" and wishing us all a good day. With all he is going through, he is still positive and chipper and shows his care and concern for others. Most importantly, he is a loving and dedicated husband to Tami Leno. In the early days, Corey would have songs dedicated to Tami over the radio and every phone call ended with I love you! Thank goodness she finally agreed to marry him (after the 3rd or 4th proposal!) and he is still showing his love for her today in many ways. Since then they have raised 2 wonderful children together. Nicholas Leno resides in Ottawa with his fiancé Nicole, and Madison Leno resides in London with her partner. Nick shares his father's passion for theatre and is now the Artistic Director for "A Company of Fools" best known for their "Torchlight Shakespeare in the Park" series of 90-minute versions of Shakespeare's hits to over 35 community parks during the summer months. Madison has just finished her post-secondary schooling in London and just started work with a local travel agency. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Now let me share a little about his current situation. In early May of this year, Corey began having intermittent seizures where he would randomly pass out for a short period and then be seemingly ok afterward. The doctor's spent the next few weeks monitoring his heart but nothing seemed to be wrong. Corey and Tami went to his family doctor and she sent Corey for a CT scan where the tumour was discovered and he was sent to London hospital immediately. The initial diagnosis was that it was likely a primary brain tumour and cancerous. A biopsy was performed and the diagnosis was confirmed that Corey has a Glioblastoma. A devastating diagnosis that they family has been coming to terms with over the last few weeks. Corey then met with an oncology team and they have put together an aggressive treatment plan including both radiation and chemotherapy together for the next few months. The best-case scenario is that the radiation treatment may shrink the tumour and allow the doctors to try to remove part or all of it. If radiation is successful to shrink the tumour, this will mean a major and very delicate, high-risk surgery, and more treatments down the road. If the tumour is still not operable, he may need more treatment to better manage the symptoms and have the best quality of life possible. Corey has recently started treatments in London with his family by his side. Of course, Corey's wife Tami will be his caregiver and both Corey and Tami are unable to work for the foreseeable future. This means they will have reduced income and additional travel and living expenses during treatment. Nick and Madison will also have increased travel expenses and may have periods where they may not work to spend quality time with the family. This is a very emotional and stressful time for the family and I thought it would be nice to be able to offer some financial support so that they can focus on Corey's treatment and recovery as well as spending quality family time together as much as possible. If you would like to show your support for the Leno family, consider donating to help make this difficult time a little easier. Any amount is greatly appreciated by the family. Thank you for reading their story. Please share to help spread the word.
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