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PAGE 14, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1979, WHITBY Beween You and Me By RUTH CHAMBERS We read about Sue some time ago in this column and her battie with M.S. She is pretty well confined to bec! but does manage to sit-in her wheelchair for short periods of time. On Christmas Day we hope she can go home by ambulance to spend several hours with ber family. A few days before Christmias her mother is having a birtbday party at the bospital for ber and a few of ber friends wlll be there to celebrate witb ber on her twenty seventh birthday."1 Randy, who knows Sue too, is a good Iooking young man of thirty two. He has bac! tbe disease since be was twenty two and is confined too, to bec! and a wheelchair. The progression of the disease varies witb each individual; the patb takes tbe same turns with few variations. M.S. bas an unknown cause,. an unexplained geographical distribution, an unpredictable course, an un- discovered cure and its treatinent bigbly controversial. Aro und 900,000 thousand people in tbe world bave this mystery disease wbicb was first recognized in, and documnented in the early eigbteen hundrec!s. FREE PRESS I M ore aboutM.S. and Sue SRanc!y, like Sue bas very poor eyesight and is unable to read or watch television. Mis mind is bright and active and be is able to operate bis C.B. In this way he is able to keep in touch witb bis C.B. friends on the outside but-to what extent I didn't ask. He has been in a nursing home for nearly two years, unable to feec! himself or to move about. One bonus for him is the ability to stili have a cigarette, smnokeand enjoy it. On tbe tray of his wbeel chair or by his bec! be bas an asb tray, a metal one witb a holder built into the tray. When someone puts a cigarette in the holder and lights it Rancly picks up the tube wbicb is attached to the holder and witb trembling hands is able to put it to bis moutb anc! puff. No danger of a fire or burns witb this contraption, a godsent I should think for Randy. This mix of frustration causes despair, c!eep despair. Hopelessness and helplessness; how does one get on witb it? How does, one cope under these circumstances? They have to* accept their pligbt and make the best of it somehow,' someway. A duli, inert mmnd would help but this rarely is the case so tbey have to'cope with a bright mind and an unresponsive body. So once again we come back to the question of how their lives couic! be made more fruitful and easier to bear. Randy is in a rest borne witb elderly patients, men and women, a few younger people but very few. This poses problems but of course there are ac!vantages as these older folk are kind and gooc! to Randy but there neec!s to be a mix. However, no icing on the cake and he likes icingi1 In sucb places with this ratio of eiderly people the meals as Randy says are "regulatec!". Food! is blanc!, very thin slices of meat, often no "icing" because of some diabetic patients. So the nught before our visit he bac! been invitec! to a dinner given by a group of mon for tbe hanc!icappoc!. Just to boar the expression in bis voice when he told me about tbo.roast boof brougbt joy to my heart! Too, ho saic! he Iooked at those men walking about, as be saic! on their legs and kept wondering to bimself, '"why me, wby me?" To fully undorstand many tbings' or maybe ai things we bave to experionce it. One of bis fantasies is to live witb a group of younger people, flot young, but not ail in their late seventies and eigbties. To be with other M.S. patients or other similarly related patients; to unclerstand each othor, tbeir frustrations and fears or just to appiaud eacb otber. Tben tbere is the matter of friendsbip. These people neec! companionship and love too. To reacb out to someone, to hold their banc!; we ail neec! this. To reacb out for comfort, to toucb someono Randy says upsets people, tbey don't un- CONT'D ON PG. 15 Businesýs PoleI I C ibm uto ad io r-ý Sales.- Repairs - Installation 0f Auto Sound System & Accessories Brock St. N. -66&2?-e66 CABLE CONVERTERS. From 291 Quasar Speedy T.V. Blair Park Plaza. Whitby 668-1818 Pashlon s '12 6 To-morrow"s Fashions To-day WE PRO VIDE FOR YOU: *Personal Service 'Pleasant Salespersons *Great, Selections *Lay-a-way Plan Ph. 668-1266 116 BROOK ST. S. WHITBY, ONT. H.ITCH-N-PLOW Phone 666-1819 900 HOPKINS at BURNS, WHITBY Ifaiator IR UP Fireplace saves heat, saves money mâ * outside air for comnbustion ..mi *glass doors * an forced heat VISIT OUR SHOWROOM Fireizluoe Plus Tues. - Sat. 900 Hopkins ut Burns WVHITIRY 668-3192 A- Su mmary of WHQ'S NEWS IN THE WHITBY. AREA I 1 4,1 Judy Christmas & Gail Beare The Calico Cat Whitby's ctowntown wool shop is called the Calico Cat after those white, orange and bl ack felines because "they lilce to play with wool," according to owners Judy Christmas and Gail These bright and bubbly ladies have been in business for three years selling high quality French and European wools for high fashion styling. "We want to offer oui' customers the cream as weil as the bread and butter," Miss Christ- mas says of their wools. As weil as selling knitting supplies the Calico Cat also offers other crafts such as neediepoint, embroidery, rug hooking and crochet. As weil as the French wool, the Calico Cat also offers, exclusively, French patterns. If you need help with your knitting projeets, &rop into the Calico Cat and they will help you solve those problems or take their knitting and crochet classes which they offer in April and September every year for a fee of $15. The classes are small and the knitter will be ensured of getting ail the instruction and help they need. "lWe would like to encourage men to learn and to take Up these crafts, " Miss Beare1 says. The Calico Cat offers a ten per cent discount to senior citizens. For ail your knitting and crafts needs drop in- to the Calico Cat at 118 Brock Street North or cail 668-7611. i The News ik THE CALICO CAT KNITTING & CRO CHET YARNS - NEEDLE POINT SUPPLIES FRAMING SERVICE 118 Brock St. N. Whitby RUSSELL TRAVEL Your Travel ' S Our Bùsiness PH. 668-5000 126 Brock St. S. Whitby, Ont. DON VALLANCE EQUIPMENT LTD. Sales and Service Massey Ferguson KUBOTA Bombardier.- Ski-Doo 655-3291 BROOKLIN. ONT. Mon. - Thurs - 10 Fr1. - 10-8:' COLUM BUS AUTO BODY " Complete Body Repaîrs " Expert Painting * Estîmates " Paint Reg. $295.00 Baseline Rd. West Behînd AMC Dealer 668-5757 I ~.OWNE FLOWERS I ~ Large selection of Christmas Arrangements K in Fresh tlowers anci Silk. Large Select ion of Tropical Plants and (3îfts *Weddîng * Hospital * Funeral Deliverlecq ~ ~601 Dundas St. W. in TOWN E Plaza 668-07271 D-6 ý30 A R 1 CONT'D ON PG. 15 *1',4 ýàvl r