Elementary School Teacher in Halifax Helps Kids

Craig MacDonald is known for the big New Year’s Eve parties he throws to raise money for sick children and their families. The event attracts hundreds, sometimes thousands of people – and has raised over $100,000 for the charity, the Children’s Wish Foundation, which sends the kids and their families on vacation. But now the tables have turned for MacDonald, who is now having a medical crisis of his own and is in need of assistance: the Edmonton resident is in the hospital and has been since April.

“It’s a metabolic myopathy and what happens is my muscles cramp up and they kind of seize up and it’s pretty excruciating pain,” MacDonald said.

The Nova Scotia native had experienced the pain before – after all, for the last 19 years, he’s been dealing with an undiagnosed muscle disease – and in the past it went away, but this time it came to stay. MacDonald, an elementary school teacher at Kitaskinaw School, even had to leave his job because his condition was so bad. It was so sudden that he regretfully didn’t even get the chance to bid goodbye to his students.

With his big heart, it’s no surprise that he is surrounded by loyal, dedicated friends, like his friend Drew Vinson, who, with others, started an online fundraising page for their pal MacDonald – whom they call
“Craig Mac.” While it seems a little strange that he’s the one in need, his friends are more than happy to be doing this for him.

“It’s probably the easiest [fundraiser] I’ve even been involved with to get people behind, because everyone loves Craig so much and have been touched by so many of his events,” Vinson said.

On his part, MacDonald is grateful for what his pals are doing.

“You just know who your true friends are when you’re down in a pickle,” he said.

Photo Source: Fundraiser for Craig Mac Page