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Friends rally around couple battling ALS By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 3 OAKVILLE BEAVER · Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Ian Sanderson is a real outdoorsman who bakes a mean apple pie. His friends and neighbours will serve up the cake, however, at his 54th birthday -- as well as a gift that is beyond price. The birthday bash, In Celebration of Friendship to support Jody and Ian Sanderson, will be held on Thursday, March 26 to raise funds to help the couple battle Ian's ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is better known as Lou Gehrig's disease and Ian's diagnosis with it came as a shock to the Sandersons in December of 2007. Accompanied by a prognosis of two to five years, the news was a blow to the Sandersons and their two children, Tom, 23 and Kate, 25, who has twin boys, Joshua and Zachary, aged 28 months. Jody, 52, admits she took it hard at first. "I asked for grace, peace, joy and humour," said Jody. "Humour is most essential," smiled Ian. He remains philosophical. "I knew it before, but it has really hit home, that each day is a gift. You could be a miserable old curmudgeon or you could be happy," said Ian. "It's a test, a real challenge, but we have great faith and that's important to us," said Jody. As the couple faces the challenge of living with ALS and life as they know it changes daily, their friends, family and neighbours are rallying to help. ALS is a devastating and terminal illness that results in the disintegration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Over time, patients with ALS become incapable of movement -- including eating and breathing -- while their ability to think and feel remains unchanged. ALS often strikes those who are active. It is merciless and it is expensive. Ian is no longer able to work and is on long-term leave from his job as a building inspector with the Town of Oakville. Jody has resigned as editor of Oakville Today to care for her husband. Their home requires extensive and costly renovations, so that Ian can be properly cared for by family as his condition progresses. As with many illnesses, there is no financial coverage for modifications to homes and Jody and Ian have been navigating the onerous course of accessing what equipment funding programs exist. "We're trying to help relieve one LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER CHALLENGE AHEAD: Jody and Ian Sanderson are facing a challenge after Jody left her job as editor of Oakville Today to care for Ian, who has ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Their friends are holding a fundraising benefit, In Celebration of Friendship, on Ian's birthday March 26 to help them out. burden for Jody and Ian, so they can live as comfortably as possible under the circumstances and focus on enjoying the time they have together," said Catherine Mulvale, who, along with Julie Burtch, conceived the group, Friends of the Sandersons, which is presenting the benefit birthday party. It will be held on Ian's 54th birthday, Thursday, March 26. The benefit will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Operating Engineers' Banquet Hall and Conference Centre, 2245 Speers Rd. There will be food, fun and the sounds of Fiddlestix to get partygoers up of their feet and dancing. Tickets cost $100 with all proceeds going to meet Ian and Jody's needs. Originally from Calgary, Jody, a two-term town councillor for Ward 4 in Glen Abbey, met Ian when she joined the circus and came to Ontario on tour. "He was a student of the husband of a woman who used to babysit me when I was a kid," said Jody. Though Jody returned to Calgary, Ian soon followed. "He chased me, and married me, and we had two children," said Jody. "Jody was out West, so I had to go," smiled Ian, a native of Oakville who had attended Maple Grove Public School, White Oaks Secondary School and then Sheridan College. Though schooled in business, Ian traded in his account ledger for an apprenticeship in the plumbing trade. Most recently he was a mechanical inspector with the Town. Jody, who had majored in theatre arts, traded her stint with the Conklin anniversary road trip to marry Ian and raise their children. Upon moving to Oakville, Jody came to notice a local newspaper called Abbey's Own and pitched a column to its publisher. Soon Jody was writing about everything under the sun in Glen Abbey. The column was suitably dubbed Eye on Glen Abbey. From there, she moved on to become the editor of the paper's predecessor, Oakville Today. She took a hiatus during her two terms on council and returned after not seeking re-election for a third term. Last summer, the couple made the trip to Newfoundland to see the whales and puffins -- a trip they'd talked about for years. Last fall, Ian, an avid canoer and former 8th Oakville scout, took a month-long road trip to visit friends and relatives. "I've been canoeing all my life. I like it because it allows you to get into places you might not otherwise go. I like solitude and being all by myself, but that's changing quickly," said Ian. His trip -- made while he still could -- was not in canoe this time, but by car. It was his road trip. For a man who has been a strong backbone for his family, the onset of ALS has realigned family roles, too. Ian no longer looks after the chores he used to such as laundry or shovelling, simply because he can't. At last check, his grip strength was next to nothing, so he has been sworn off dishwashing because he drops too many things, he laughed. "I can't pick up a toothpick," he said, holding out his hands. Jody and their son have taken over household chores and Jody has taken on personal care of Ian. Stairs are becoming next to impossible for Ian, who has moved from using a leg brace to a walker. Topping the couple's list of renovations to accommodate Ian's eventual first-floor living arrangement will be a renovation of the main floor bathroom. For a wheelchair-accessible shower and barrier-free sink and toilet, Jody said estimates range from $10,000 to $21,000. A suitable bed and wheelchair will have to come, too. Ian's needs change often. As with a child, the couple just gets used to one set of circumstances and the situation changes again. Ian said he knew something was wrong, but it surfaced when one day he tried clipping his nails and couldn't squeeze the clipper. Muscles in his left arm were twitching. There is no known cure for ALS and no known cause. Ian's sister has ALS and his uncle, Ron Sanderson, of Oakville, died of it. Ian is on an experimental treatment program and is a patient of the ALS clinic and Dr. John Turnbull at McMaster Medical Centre. The first two weeks after Ian was diagnosed were described as horrific by Jody. She went through the stages of crying, grieving and mourning very quickly. Her grief was compounded by the fact that her father lost a short battle with lung cancer at the same time. "It was horrific. It was awful. Everything was very intense," admitted Jody who draws strength from her faith. Ian is more subtle about his meeting with mortality. "It's a journey, like a canoe trip. Each day you have to invent a new way of doing things," said Ian, admitting his children took the news hard. The journey is stretching the Sandersons' relationship with one another and they're making it together -- each in their own way. Jody said they are "humbled" that their friends, family and neighbours are doing so much to offer support. Both Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn and Oakville MP Terence Young have been assisting the Sandersons with navigating the health care system, which can be daunting at times. That comment leads the Sandersons to launch into the story of how Terence's wife, Gloria, beat Ian in a pie contest. "Ian makes award-winning apple pies," brags Jody. "She sugared her crusts," charges Ian of Gloria's tactics in winning the contest at a Glen Abbey Summerfest celebration. As the Sandersons can attest, life is what you make of it. To reserve tickets to the upcoming fundraiser or donate to the Sanderson fund, contact Julie Burtch at dburtch@cogeco.ca or 905-8253855 or Catherine Mulvale at Catherine@DynamiteDesign.ca or 905-827-9633. Tickets can also be ordered via email through Burtch or Mulvale or by sending a cheque made payable to: Strategies for LIFE -- Sandersons, 2511 Scotch Pine Dr., Oakville, ON L6M 4C3.