Barry's Brigade Website

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Good luck Barry! I'm doing the NY one. Your page looks great!
 
good luck. love your web page.
 
Very nice website, Barry!

I'm hoping your walk is a huge success!
 
FABULOUS! I registered, signed your guestbook and posted the link to my facebook :] Wish I could afford to donate or at least come and do the walk with you and Beth :[ hugs
 
Thanks Kay Marie and everyone else, I am going to the walk kick-off luncheon on Tuesday and have prepared a speech for my netbook to give. I'll let you know how it went, I'm not much of a public speaker so I'm glad that I don't have to talk, I just have to push a button! :shock::shock:
 
Well the luncheon and my speech went off very well after a rocky start to the day. Because I had a three hour drive to Edmonton I had planned to go in on Monday afternoon at a leisurely pace (as I was by myself) and stay at my sister's and then get up at a reasonable time for about a 15 minute drive to the lunch from her house. Needless to say, my plans went to poop on Monday, some work commitments (did I mention that I am no longer working?) meant that I couldn't leave until yesterday morning. So I am up at 7 (slept in) out the door by 8:30 and made the 3 hour drive in 2 1/2 so that I could meet my sisters for the 11:30 luncheon.

The food was great, soup, sandwiches, salads, with tarts and fruit for desert. I was sitting at a table with another Bulbar PALS, a lovely lady named Betty and we both were wishing that we could have tried some of it but we yakked away while everyone else's mouths were full, her on her lightwriter and me on my netbook, it was nice.

After the lunch the ALS Society people gave a talk to get us all geared up for creating teams and then a gentleman with limb onset spoke from his wheelchair about how ALS has affected him and what the society has meant to him on his journey. Then it was my turn. I had everything planned and had even taken a camera so that my sister could video me so I could post it but in my rush I forgot to check the batteries! :sad::sad:

So no video or even pictures but I stood at the podium and let my computer do the talking and it was fun especially when I didn't have to worry about screwing it up. Here is the text of my speech:

Hello everyone, my name is Barry Godsalve. Please excuse my artificial voice, my lips and tongue are on strike and negotiations are not going well.

I am 54 years old and I live in Hinton Alberta with my wife Beth and 21 year old son Andrew. Unfortunately, neither Beth nor Andrew could be here with me today but I do have the pleasure of having two of my three sisters, Donna and Debby, as my guests.

I asked Patricia if it would be possible for me to speak to you today because I wanted to tell you a little about myself, my life with A L S, and why the A L S Society and the Walk for A L S is so important to me.

A L S has brought about a big change in my life and in my family as it does to everyone it touches. Before I was diagnosed with bulbar onset A L S in 2008 I spent 22 years as a partsman for a diesel engine distributor and then 10 years as a geographics information systems analyst and wildlife technician for my wife's consulting company. For recreation I was a downhill and cross country skier, a mountain climber and hiker, a scuba diver and swimmer, a hunter and a fisherman. Now I am officially retired and spend my days reading, conversing with old and new friends by email and on the internet on the A L S Forums and on facebook. I still help out with the business doing some bookkeeping and computer mapping so I keep busy but to say that my life has changed would be an understatement.

My symptoms started in the summer of 2007 with slurred words. We were visiting with relatives in Ontario and people started joking that I had better cut back on my beer consumption. Since then my voice has steadily progressed from slurred words to slurred and hoarse speech and is now at the point where no one can understand anything of what I say so I don't try anymore. I have a number of speech devices and thank goodness for modern technology that allows me to communicate. Along with the speech, my swallowing ability has deteriorated so that all of my food and drink comes through my peg feeding tube which is exceedingly boring but at least I am not going hungry.

I first became involved with the A L S Society when I met Patricia at my first clinic visit and she and the society have been a great help to me and my family in providing both information and equipment when we needed it. Patricia arranged for me to get a walker, a transfer wheelchair and a recliner chair and we are in the process of getting a porch lift and a power wheelchair, all from the society loan closet. My legs and arms are starting to give me some problems so these mobility aides are much appreciated.

But all of these things cost money and that is why we are gathered here today, to kick off the 2010 A L S walk that will enable the society to support patients and to fund research into finding the cause and a cure for this devastating disease. This will be my third walk and my team, Barry's Brigade, raised over 1000 dollars in 2008, over 4000 dollars in 2009 and I know that we will do the same this year. I am reminded of my first walk luncheon in 2008 where I had the privilege of sitting at a table with Wayne Stevenson and Brian Eaglesham, both of whom are no longer with us. I pushed Brian in his wheelchair on the 2008 walk when we raced Wayne in his powerchair and it was smiles all around, and that is what the walk is about. A good time with friends and family raising money for a good cause, the A L S Society of Alberta. So please help by making the 2010 Walk for A L S the most successful yet.

I would just like to say in closing, thank you to Patricia, the A L S society and to the wonderful staff at the University of Alberta A L S clinic and my friends Kerry, Shameem and Dorothy who are here today.

Thank you



And then I hobbleflopped off of the podium and back to my seat and after lunch went back to Debby's place for a nap. I had a nice leisurely drive home through a snowstorm today and am ready to take on the world or at least my pillow again!

Barry
 
Nice speach Barry,
I am sure you will raise more than 4000 this year.

We have a walk here, well 400km away in April, and i am looking at how it will fit in with every thing else in April (busy month)

cheers
Peter
 
good for you , well put speech with points being made
 
i posted it on my facebook
 
Thanks Peter, if you can do a walk you should! Maybe some money raised somewhere, anywhere will help find a cure for this horrible disease and it sure helps all of us get the equipment we need to make our lives more bearable.

Thanks tdamess, the more exposure the better!
 
Great speech as usual! I'm sure you'll beat your goal again this year.
 
Barry, this is amazing! I am soul proud of you my friend! mwah I have posted your youtube vidoe on my facebook and forwarded it on to Jodi. xo
 
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