Father and son: Shawn and Chase Galea
At the recent Spring Fishing and Boat Showâs Conservation Dinner, among the folks sharing my table was Shawn Galea from Advanced Taxidermy & Wildlife Design. Iâd certainly been aware of Shawnâs reputation as a masterful artisan when it comes to replica fish mounts. In 2002, in fact, we here at Outdoor Canada magazine named Shawn and his business partner, James McGregor, among the 33 most influential people in the Canadian outdoors (click here for the article).
The way we continue to see it, their incredibly lifelike mounts have no doubt played a significant and positive role in the catch-and-release movement. Iâd never spoken to Shawn personally, however, so it was great to finally get to meet him.
You can learn a lot about a guy just by the way he talks about his kids, and sure enough conversation turned to children, and in particular Shawnâs two-year-old boy, Chase (he turns three later this month). Like any good father, Shawn speaks of his son with immense admiration. But what really struck me was how proud he was of his little boy, in particular his determination.
You see, Chase was born with quad cerebral palsy, as well as auditory neuropathy, a condition whereby the signal from the inner ear to the brain is impaired. But even at age two, Chase has shown a remarkable capacity to make the most of his life, his physical impediments notwithstandingâ"and Shawnâs admiration is palpable. âHe does therapy five hours a day without one complaint,â Shawn told me, his eyes welling up at the thought of what his son must endure. âHeâs amazing.â
Of course, itâs not cheap to properly care for kids with such disabilitiesâ"the therapy alone costs $1,000 a week, and then thereâs the specialized and expensive medical equipment, such as walkers, hearing ads, bath chairs and so on. So, to help raise funds for Chase and others like him, as well as raise awareness about CP and the attendant financial burdens, Shawn and his family launched the Chase Galea Fund.
Among other things, theyâll be holding a gala fundraiser eventâ"âChaseâ the Dreamâ"on March 27 at La Primavera in Woodbridge. Tickets are just $125, which includes giveaways, live entertainment, a four-course dinner and open bar. There will also be live and silent auctions.
So far, the response has been overwhelming. âIâve been doing taxidermy for 25 years, but I didnât realized how many people knew usâ"and were willing to help,â says Shawn. âI really didnât expect it.â
Visit www.thechasegaleafund.com for complete details regarding tickets and donations.
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///// FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @OutdoorWalsh ///// Outdoor Canada Editor Patrick Walsh grew up fishing and hunting in Bracebridge, Ontario, where he began his magazine career in 1983 as assistant editor of Muskoka Life. Since then, he has worked for a variety of media, both in Canada and abroad, earning numerous writing and editing awards. In both 2011 and 2005, the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors named him Editor of the Year, while Outdoor Canada was honoured as Magazine of the Year. Learn more: www.outdoorcanada.ca.
