Schomberg McDonald’s sells cookies in memory of Curtis McCormick

April 28, 2021 · 0 Comments

By Robert Belardi

Curtis McCormick lost his battle against cancer.
The Springfield, Nova Scotia native was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma 18 months ago. He was 21.
He touched hearts when he stayed with relatives in Schomberg recently.
The first surgery removed the sarcoma that was entrenched behind his left lung. It was the size of a cantaloupe. Then the family began facing challenges. Another surgery was imminent and would only be done if the cancer didn’t spread elsewhere. Curtis was going through chemotherapy sessions alone in the hospital and he told the King Sentinel near the end the cancer began resisting the chemotherapy.
When the time came for surgery, Curtis was directed to go and visit Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto to sarcoma specialist Dr. Abha Gupta.
He spent time in Schomberg with his aunt and his mother and previous Schomberg native Linda McCormick. The cancer had grown again. The support from the Schomberg community was unlike any other. Everyone attended the home before he went off to surgery. The removal of the cancer also removed his left lung, a piece of his diaphragm and the lining of his lung as well.
Months later, on August 19 2020, his mother Linda had posted Curtis was pronounced cancer free.
When the news surfaced in the Schomberg Community Group last week that Curtis had passed, Admin of the group Susan Heslop wanted to do something.
“I reached out to Rory after Cutis passed and to the family to see if we could do something,” Heslop said.
“Rory is fabulous I and very connected to helping out the community. Every time I’ve asked him he always gives me an enthusiastic yes.”
On April 14, Curtis’s mother Linda thanked McDonald’s in a post in the Schomberg Community Group. She announced that cookies were going to be sold and all proceeds were going to be given to the Ronald McDonald House in Curtis’s memory. His mother also wrote, Curtis cared for this charity very much.
“The cookie fundraiser is a tactic we’ve done in the past. Five cents for every cookie is baked in to the cost of a cookie and that five cents goes to the national charity for every cookie every time you buy. We donate 100 per cent of the proceeds over to give somebody a cause. That was the whole idea,” Owner/Operator of the Schomberg McDonalds, Rory MacKinnon said.
Following that day’s exceptional turnout, McDonald’s Schomberg sold 1,200 cookies, raising $806.00. Heslop says MacKinnon is rounding that number up to $1,000.
“When I pulled them (numbers) off the computer on Sunday I was very surprised. I would say conservatively, it was double what I expected off what would be a normal fundraiser,” MacKinnon said.
That’s the character of the community of Schomberg. When the support is needed it is given. For the McCormick family grieving through a hard loss and through a pandemic ridden year it’s clear that support is always an extra cushion and this one won’t be forgotten.