Against all odds

By Chris Halliday, Orangeville Banner

Al and Lee PettitDiagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) more than eight years ago, East Garafraxa resident Al Pettit continues to defy the odds.

The prognosis from diagnosis to death for those with ALS is a mere handful of years - "80 per cent of our clients live two to five years," noted Kathryn Dunmore, manager of communications for ALS Ontario. Yet, Pettit, 68, is close to reaching nine, so what's his secret?

"The glass is half full rather than half empty," he remarked. "If you fall into despair and think you're going to die, and it's all doom and gloom, I think it really does bring your body down."

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a degenerative condition of the nervous system. It leads to weakened muscles, an inability to move and, eventually, death. There is no known cure.

Although Pettit's condition can progressively get worse with each passing day or month, he maintains as positive an outlook as possible.

His inspiration comes from spending time with his grandchildren, and even simpler things like watching the birds, squirrels and chipmunks in his backyard.

"I guess I'm lucky," Pettit said. "I do have my dark days, but I still look at the quality of life I have."

The annual Orangeville Walk for ALS will take place at the Island Lake Conservation Area on June 2; registration begins at 8:30 a.m., while the trek starts at 10 a.m.

People walking that five-km route will raise funds to help those living with the disease and ALS research.

The fundraiser is extremely close to Al's heart. Not only has he been the walk's poster boy for many years, the former firefighter has seen how the money raised can help those living with ALS first-hand.

The Pettit's have received equipment and appliances from ALS Ontario throughout the years, including canes, walkers, wheelchairs, a hoyer lift, and hospital beds, just to name a few.

"One week you need a cane, the next week or a month later, you need a walker. A month later you need a wheelchair, a month later you need a power wheelchair," Lee Pettit, Al's wife and an organizer of the walk, said.
"It is just like every time you turn around, you've grown out of the stuff that you have."

Al doesn't just receive equipment from ALS Ontario; he gives back as well. He is currently the "super moderator" of an ALS forum found at www.alsforums.com, which Al said can get between 2,500 to 5,000 web hits per day.
"It is people around the world looking for information on ALS," Al said. "Our forum is probably the best one ... for getting no nonsense, factual information."

Before he retired, Al was a firefighter in Mississauga for 33 years. In a way, however, he stumbled upon his condition while vacationing.

Scuba diving on separate trips to Cuba and then the Philippines, Al had trouble climbing onto the dive boat, and after going down maybe 100 feet while diving, struggled to breathe.

At first, Al thought his condition was related to quadruple heart bypass he'd undergone earlier, but after his cardiologist told him his heart was fine, his doctor sent him to a neurologist as a precaution.

When Al suggested ALS as a possibility, his doctor brushed it off - "That is so obscure. I've never even seen an ALS patient," he says his physician told him.

Several months later, Al was diagnosed in October of 2003 and is now confined to a motorized wheelchair.

For more information about the local walk, call Lee at 519-940-8357 or by email at [email protected].
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