Seattle comedian Derek Sheen is hosting an all-star comedy benefit show on Dec. 21 at Laughs Comedy Spot in Kirkland for a young boy with cerebral palsy who is losing his prized pony.
The town of Caledon may force a 3-year-old boy with cerebral palsy to give up his miniature pony after a neighbour complained about the smell.
Sam Spiteri’s grandfather gave him the pony, Emily, after the boy was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy shortly after birth. The boy can’t walk or crawl, and Emily is part of his therapy regime.
“When we take him off the pony he cries. Even if he’s tired he doesn’t want to leave her,” Spiteri said.
But at the end of July, the town notified the Spiteris the pony had to be removed due to the complaints. Sam’s physical therapist and pediatrician recommended equestrian riding because it triggers the core muscles that Sam needs to strengthen. It’s a newer form of therapy, and the closest location that offered reputable therapeutic equestrian riding was about 50 minutes away, Ms. Spiteri said.
Sam has seizures, so long car rides are difficult. When he was younger, he also had lung problems that left him prone to infections, she said.
The Spiteris appeared before the Caledon committee of adjustment Dec. 10 to ask for an exception because of Sam’s special circumstances. It costs $800 to appear before the committee. Ms. Spiteri said she received an e-mail from town council recently about an additional $345 required to circulate their application for an exception to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
“I’m a single mom with two kids and I live at home with my parents. I have a child who is disabled and that takes its financial toll as well … the big issue for us is money. We will fight it until we run out of funds.”
All proceeds from the Dec. 21 comedy show will go towards the Spiteri family’s legal costs and towards the cost of building a new stable for Emily. For more information on the Spiteri family, go to www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/11/26/caledon-pony.html?ref=rss.
Scheduled to appear along with Sheen are Geoff Brousseau, Emmett Montgomery, Paul Merrill, and Travis Vogt.
For more informaton and advance tickets, go to www.laughscomedy.com/ or call 425-823-6306. Laughs is located at 12099 124th Avenue Northeast in Kirkland. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
