聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 A former Kamsack couple who now live in Penticton, B.C., recently donated $30,000 for medical equipment for the Penticton Regional Hospital expansion.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ed and Lucille Propp could probably thank the polka for their 31 years of marriage, said a release from the 麻豆视频 Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation. It all started one evening in 1985.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Although they both lived in Kamsack, they had never met until they coincidentally attended the same singles dance in Yorkton.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Lucille recalled trying to teach Ed how to dance the heel-and-toe polka, the release said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 quite get it,鈥� she said with a laugh. 鈥淏ut what got me was his smile.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ed was a heavy equipment operator for an RM in the district, while Lucille worked for 20 years as the assistant to the administrator of the Kamsack Union Hospital.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Shortly after their marriage, they decided to retire to Penticton where other family members were already residing.
This was the second marriage for them both.聽 Ed has two children and two-stepchildren plus four grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren, while Lucille has three children, four grandchildren and eight great-grandkids.
Now the Propps have made a $30,000 donation to the 麻豆视频 Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation鈥檚 campaign to provide $20 million in medical equipment for the Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) expansion.
鈥淲e use the hospital so much that we thought we should pay something back,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 just keep taking and taking.鈥�
Lucille suffers from a blood disorder (myelodysplasia) which requires her to undergo a blood transfusion every two weeks.
鈥淚t takes four-and-a-half to five hours, but the staff is so caring,鈥� she said.
Ed suffered a heart attack several years ago and has undergone knee surgery at PRH.
The couple has also been active long-time members of the Penticton Seniors Drop-In Centre Society, the release said.
Ed served for four years on the Drop-In Centre board, including a year as vice-president. He also helped the building committee fundraise for its current 麻豆视频 Main Street facility 鈥� a move from its previous home in the former Hansel & Gretel motel and restaurant at Skaha Lake Road and Green Avenue.
鈥淲e still make greeting cards for people who are ill or who passed away,鈥� Lucille added. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done that for many, many years.鈥�
Construction of the new patient care tower at PRH is now underway, it said.聽 It should be ready for patients by early 2019.
