Giving Aids Patients A Chance To Dream

Jerri Haaven-Pester believes dying children of all ages deserve to see dreams come true - even if they’re adults with AIDS.

Haaven-Pester’s LifeQuest International Foundation, based in the Seattle area, is starting a program to grant last wishes for people living in the latter stages of traveling to dream destinations, meeting celebrities or receiving special gifts.

The program, patterned after the Make a Wish Foundation for children, will serve AIDS patients throughout Washington state.

Haaven-Pester is looking for people who can donate printing or travel services, know how to contact celebrities or sports heroes or want to make cash contributions. Confidential applications from AIDS patients also are being accepted.

You can call Haaven-Pester at (206) 771-6536, or write to LifeQuest International Foundation, 18232 36th Ave W, G-5, Lynnwood, WA 98037.

Colorectal cancer: A free class, “Colorectal Cancer: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment Options,” will be offered next Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 266 of the new Deaconess Health & Education Center, W910 Fifth.

Participants will learn how a healthy diet protects against some types of cancer, what tests are available and the latest treatments. For information or registration, call 624-7770.

Women’s health: Register by the end of January to receive discount rates for Holy Family Hospital’s 10th Annual Women’s Health Conference, Feb. 7-8 at Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park.

Featured speakers include Connie Podesta, a counselor who presents a one-act play, “Journey Through a Woman’s Life”; Jennifer James, a Seattle-based cultural anthropologist whose columns appear in The Spokesman-Review, and Jackie Pflug, a former special education teacher who rehabilitated herself after she was shot during a 1985 hijacking.

Early registration prices range from $35 for the opening banquet to $95 for the full conference; a limited number of partial scholarships are available, based on need. Call 482-2477 for information.

Cancer screening: Free mammograms and Pap tests are available to Northeastern Washington women over age 40 who don’t have health insurance coverage that pays for the tests. For information, call Kaye Raymond at the Northeast Tri-County Health District in Colville, 684-5048.