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14 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 14, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN Phone: 905-845-3824, ext. 248 Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: angela@oakvillebeaver.com All his hopes Continued from page 1 Born 41 years ago in Rawdon, north of Montreal, Erskine and his sister, Bonnie, moved to Bowmanville with their parents, John and Lyn, in 1981. The family later came to Oakville when John was transferred to Hamilton. In 1989, Erskine graduated from Sheridan College's phoMELISSA ERSKINE / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER tography program and began working at The Oakville Beaver. Last July, Erskine was heading home from work one night and stopped by the drug store to purchase skin cream as his hands had been itching. The pharmacist pointed out a rash on his arms so Erskine headed to a walk-in clinic. While there, the photographer experienced severe chest pains and was rushed to Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital by ambulance. "That's what started it all," said the soft-spoken Erskine. "We could not figure out what was wrong, but Barrie conMELISSA ERSKINE / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER tinued to feel worse and worse," said his wife, Melissa, 32. Over the next weeks, Erskine was tested for West Nile virus, lupus, Lyme disease and more. In August, he began to develop numbness and tingling in his arm and was becoming weaker daily. "Just to walk across the street was a chore," said Erskine. "I had to stop numerous times and just rest." Then, Erskine began losing consciousness and was often disoriented. An internal medicine specialist sent Erskine to a RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER neurologist, which led to an MRI, a diagnosis of a brain lesion and a spinal lumbar puncture. "It's a very painful procedure," said Erskine, who passed out during the first attempt. "By the end of September, Barrie was really having trouble walking," said Melissa. At home, Barrie was losing consciousness and Melissa was trying to catch his fall. He was unsafe and his condition was unsafe for her and their daughter. "It was a scary time," admits Erskine. "We took him to OTMH (Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital) and I basically told the doctor that he wasn't coming home, that they needed to admit him and observe him because we were not getting the answers we needed," said Melissa. What followed was complete bed rest, more tests, another neurologist, an infectious diseases physician and psychiatrist. "The psychiatrist said that I had nothing to be depressed about other than what was happening to me," said Erskine. In the end, the hospital was prepared to discharge Erskine, but Melissa refused to have her husband come home until there was a diagnosis. The following week, Dr. Jim Kovacs, co-chief of family medicine, sat down with Erskine and numerous diseases were further investigated and ruled out. By Thanksgiving, the Erskines were told the talented photographer probably had MS, multiple sclerosis. RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER COPING: Oakville Beaver photographer Barrie Erskine is coping with the early symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). At left, top, Erskine helps raise the flag for MS Month at Oakville Town Hall; with his daughter Emily, and, doing rehab at the YMCA of Oakville. See Fighting page 15 Barbara Fuller, CFP, CSA Certified Financial Planner LEDGERS FINANCIAL SERVICES Invites you to a free Seminar GIF Select IncomePlus Turning retirement thinking on its head! TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008 Presentation 7:00 PM Seasons Restaurant 134 Lakeshore Road East (At Navy Street) Oakville, ON Learn how a great investment solution became even better! Guarantee an income stream that can be predictable, sustainable and potentially increasing over time Receive tax-efficient income when held in a non-registered account Protect your capital with guarantee features and the opportunity to lock-in market gains Guest Speaker Nilesh Patel Regional Vice President Manulife Investments RSVP to Lorraine Clark at 905-847-1592 ext 221 or email: lclark@ledgers.com Please respond by Wednesday, May 21, 2008 GIF Select, Manulife and the block design are registered service marks and trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it and its affiliates including Manulife Financial Corporation. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company is the sole issuer of the Manulife GIF Select Contract. sponsored in part by