Bob McAllister of Williams Lake is battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
"It's been a fight," he said during the Move for to Cure ALS event held in Williams Lake on Saturday, June 15.
"It's been a slow progression for me, but in the last two or three months I've lost the use of my legs and I cannot walk anymore."
Diagnosed about two-and-a-half years ago, McAllister said he first realized something was changing within his body when he began preparing to go hunting that fall.
"I was getting my quad ready and I thought there was something wrong with it because I couldn't shift the gears," he recalled.
He brought his quad into three different places for repairs and each business told him there was nothing wrong with it.
"That's when I realized there was something wrong with my leg."
After going to see his own doctor he was referred to one in Kamloops.
"He told me he couldn't be sure because there is no one thing that says you have ALS and he sent me to GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver to the ALS Clinic to see the doctor there who told me the same thing," McAllister said.
The home he shares with his wife Anita McAllister is two storeys so they have put in an elevator, which he said he paid for out of his own pocket to the tune of $20,000.
Praising the ALS Society for being "fantastic," he said they have supplied him with mechanical lift, which is worth $15,000.
"If I fall down my wife cannot lift me at home."
He also expressed gratitude for home care services he receives in Williams Lake.
"We call for help with something and they are there to help us."
One thing he thinks is difficult, he said, is that he cannot stay at Deni House for respite due to the fact he uses as machine to aid for his breathing.
When asked by the Tribune, Interior Health confirmed at this time they are unable to provide care for individuals requiring CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) and BPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) assistance at Deni House in Williams Lake.
"We are currently developing the training for staff to support this specialized care at Deni House and other care homes," noted a media spokesperson in an email. "In the interim, we will work with individual families on a case-by-case basis to support respite care locally whenever possible, appreciating the importance of this service for individuals and families."
McAllister did say there is a room at Cariboo Memorial Hospital where he can do respite if necessary.
"It's a lot of work for my wife," he said.
McAllister has lived in Williams Lake for 45 years and worked as a sawmill maintenance foreman for Tolko Industries Ltd.
He retired at 63 and was diagnosed with ALS shortly afterwards.
At the ALS walk Saturday, McAllister was accompanied by his wife Anita, his daughter Leah McAlister, his grandsons Reece Cons and Bayne Cons, Bayne's girlfriend Emma Penner, as well as family friend Allan Smith.
As he finished up his interview, McAllister had tears in his eyes.
"ALS makes you emotional," he said.
