Friends' support a comfort
UPDATED: 2009-02-15 02:33:54 MST


ALS SUFFERER HEADS TO CANCUN

By NADIA MOHARIB, SUN MEDIA






If Jim Smith ever feared he might be alone in his fight against the disease ALS, he has learned family, co-workers, friends and complete strangers are behind him.

This week, the Calgarian and his wife, Marion, are at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun after former co-workers at the city raised money to send them there for a holiday.

And the couple's daughter, Katie Wright, said more than 100 people showed up at a recent fundraiser she hosted, among them a stranger who lost her husband to the disease and has now offered to be a friend.

"She heard about it through the ALS Society of Alberta," said Wright, owner of Drama Queen Wedding & Event Planning.

"She came with about five friends and has been in contact since with moral support."




She said despite battling the disease that has affected his speech and forced him to quit work with the city as an electrician, Jim, 57, has been buoyed by the support.

Wright said she organized the fundraiser in part because it's her business.

"And it's just kind of my way of coping," she said.

It also offered her father a way to give back to the ALS Society, which has given him so much already from homecare to speech therapy.

"He had to retire from the city and that's been tough on him," Wright said.

"But he's in good spirits."

She also said the support has been a comfort for her dad and the entire family.

"It's all very new to us and to have people come out of the woodwork has been overwhelming," Wright said.

ALS is a degenerative, fatal neuromuscular disease that attacks a body's nerves and ultimately affects a patient's ability to speak and breathe.

About 3,000 Canadians have ALS. While there are some treatments, there is not yet a cure for the disease.

To donate to research efforts, log onto www.alsab.ca or call 403-228-3857 or 1-888-309-1111



http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/...98866-sun.html