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22 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, May 9, 1989 = When Bonnie Halward was diagnosed as having Multiple ~ Sclerosis, she didn't even know what the disease was all * about. Now she's a bit of an expert, and was involved in - bringing an-M.S. support group to the Scugog area. Her hus- + band Terry has-been extremely supportive, and is active "with thé M.S. Society. This Saturday Is Carnation Day in Port Perry, when the Soclety will be asking people t to support M.S. research For details, see story. 4 We Year \y after year, Gig government : after government, ¢ Canada has built up a debt that now totals over 320 billion dollars. So that today, \ deal with the debt now. That ' way we can guarantee our 4 social programs in the & mini omieeeeweo fUtUNGL- ANG that's 48 in everyhody's errr Er PS EERE ER "nie was a self-described * person. She played ball, she Wil | ¢ one third of every tax dollar is "gm wasted just paying the interest on this massive debt. Let's stop short- 3% changing ourselves. We've got to #497 For more information call 1-800-267-6620 1-800-267-6650 (1.D.D.) Multiple Sclerosis victim . Bonnie sees silver lining by Cathy Olliffe Bonnie Halward could very well be one of the most optimis- ticpeoplein Port Perry. Despite having Multiple Sclerosis, a crippling disease of the central nervous system, Bonnie manages to keep a smile on her face most of the time. She chases after her four chil- dren, she keeps the house sparkling (with the help of her husband, Terry), and she's in- volved with a support group that helps M.S. patients deal with theirlives. You won't find Bonnie sitting around feeling sorry for herself. ... As. a matter of fact, she's even found something good in being stricken with M.S. "To me there's no point crying about it," the slender 38 year "old said in the living room of her - Bigelow St. home. "It's woken me up. It's made me aware of other people and their problems _.andIwant to help them." ~Up until three years ago, Bon- active cross-country skied, she took long walks. "I enjoyed doing things outside." While skiing with friends on one occasion she found herself falling uncontrollably. She laughed. Her friends laughed. "I chalked it-up to being the klutz in the group," she re- 'called. "But 1 did notice a de- clinein my energy." After her third baby was born, she went rurining out into _ the backyard after the tyke, but couldn't make herself move. "My body:iuwent but my legs wouldn't," she said. That episode occurred in Sea- grave, where Terry and Bonnie and kids lived until they moved to Port Perry four years ago. "I was really excited about moving to Port because I thought, great, I can walk downtown, I can walk to the grocery store, to the school,' "she said with a wry grin. "It was Festival Days, just after we moved in, and it was my daugh- ter who brought thel way I walked to my attention. "She said, 'Mom, all your new neighbours are going to think you're a drunk.' I asked her why and she replied, 'because you're staggering all over the place." She suspected something was wrong, but went through a lot of tests before a neurologist in To- ronto told her the bad news. "When he said I had M.S,, 1 just went blank." She wasn't even sure what it meant. Probably close to 100,000 Ca-- - nadians suffer from the disease, which interrupsts the brain's ability to control walking, talk- ing, seeing and other important functions. Many areas of the . central nervous system may be involved--"sclerosis" refers to scars formed on damaged parts of the nervous system. It comes from the Greek word for hard- ening. In the healthy nervous sys- tem a message from the brain telling the arm and hand to pick up a book or pencil travels in split seconds. Butifthe central nervous sys- tem is damaged by M.S., the message may be slowed or not even get through. The nervous system is simi- lar to an electrical cord. If the insulation of a cord is frayed or worn through, electrical cur- rents may be short-circuited. M.S. attacks the myelin insulat- ing covering of the central ner- vous system. The myelin be- comes inflamed and may be replaced by scar tissue. Messag- es are slowed or blocked. This causes the symptoms of M.S. which include pro lems in seeing or speaking, extreme weakness, shaking of hands, loss of balance, numbness or loss of coordination. Mysteriously, the symptoms come and go over a period of time. Bonnie suffers from all the symptoms, including difficulty speaking--although during an hour long interview with the Star, her speech was lucid and clear. "Sometimes I go to say some- thing--the words are right in my mouth. They just won't come out!" she said. "If you noticed, that's when Terry fills in for me." Her husband added, "We know each other so well we can do that--I've gotten to a point where I pretty well know what she's trying tosay." They look at each other and smiles are exchanged. Bonnie takes medication to increase her energy level but she tires easily. She drives, but only for short distances, and is gradually getting used to the fact that she has to use a wheel- chair when alot of walking isin- volved. "I use a wheelchair if we're taking the kids to the zoo or Wonderland or something like that," she said. "And I don't go out of the house without a cane." The wheelchair created a ma- jor mental obstacle Bonnie had toovercome. "I didn't want to give in to the fact that I'm going to have to use it," she said. But one day she spied her oldest son doing whee- lies in the chair and thought to herself, if he could deal with it, so could she. "The first hour in the chair I felt awkward, I felt self- conscious, but then it wore off. Those chairs are pretty comfort- . able!" Bonnie has worked in retail stores all her life but doesn't have the stamina to stand up for very long, and thus contents herself with her family and work with the Multiple Sclero- sis Society of Canada, Durham Chapter. She started going to a support (Turn to page 23) 0% A.PR. for 12 months 5.9% A.PR. | 7.9% APR. for 24 months | for 36 months 8.9% A.PR. | 9.9% A.PR. for 48 months- | for 60 months ' When you buy new: * Ford Ag & Industrial Tractors * Versatile Tractors * New Holland Equipment 0.0% A.P.R.'s are available for up to 18, 24 and 48 months on selected Ford equipment. Stop in for full (OITe [IQ details. Offer expires June 30/89. Available exclusively through Ford Credit for qualified buyers. MORROW FARM - | EQUIPMENT LTD. SUNDERLAND Phone 705-357-3121 | | | i