Sooke Coun. Brenda Parkinson is facing the fight of her life against cancer.
Parkinson revealed she has a brain tumour. She began looking at treatment options at the B.C. Cancer Agency in Victoria last week.
Parkinson told Sooke council that three months ago she began having problems with her right hand.
“It was getting weaker, and I was finding that it was increasingly challenging to move it, pick things up, or even write,” she said.
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“I was doing everything right, seeing doctors, setting up appointments, but nothing was helping. By the beginning of March, I had lost the use of my right arm and hand.”
It was only after additional scans and tests were conducted that the brain tumour was discovered by doctors.
“I don’t have any pain and there are no indications that the tumour will affect my cognitive abilities or ability to continue my work on Sooke council,” Parkinson said.
“I intend to continue to have a positive and productive attitude.”
Parkinson is perhaps best known for her passionate love of the arts and her involvement in the local arts scene.
As chair of the Sooke Program for the Arts, she was responsible for covering the hydro boxes with photographs from local photographers, the painting of the pump stations by artists and art students from Edward Milne community school, and the acquisition of the Spirit Bear located in front of the Sooke Region Museum.
Mayor Maja Tait said council will help support Parkinson in any way it can.
“Brenda is a strong, positive person, and I know we all wish her well,” Tait said.
Parkinson was elected to district council in 2005, 2014 and 2018.
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