Today is day 16 of ALS Awareness Month and the Hinton Walk to End ALS. We are featuring the Hinton Walk Ambassador, Ken Rusk and his Making It Possible Story.
“My name is Ken Rusk, and I am honoured to have been asked to be the Ambassador for the Hinton Walk to End ALS on June 16, 2019. I would like to share some of my story with you including how I became afflicted with ALS and my journey with it so far. In late October of 2016, I suffered a deep muscle injury to my left calf. After months of this injury not fully healing, I began to notice a constant twitching in my left thigh. After a couple of more months passed by, I noticed the twitching had moved up the left side of my body and into my left shoulder. I reported the twitching to my doctor and she scheduled me for an MRI. The MRI came back inconclusive and I was left with no definitive answers. Early in the spring of 2017, I was out walking with my daughter and she noticed that my left foot kept slapping down on the ground with each step I took. I simply wrote this off as a result of my calf injury, which had still not healed completely. At a following appointment with my doctor, I told her about my concern and she diagnosed me with drop foot. She then scheduled me to see Dr. Makus, a neurologist at the Hinton General Hospital in November of 2017. After noting the twitching in my left thigh, Dr. Makus asked me if I had ever heard of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He recommended I go for further testing.
Two months later, on January 9, 2018, Dr. Kalra, a neurologist at the Kaye Center in Edmonton, confirmed that I indeed had ALS and immediately put me on permanent disability. Over the course of the next few months, I was able to continue to be fairly active and mobile with the use of my walking sticks and a brace on my left foot. A few months later, I found myself in need of a walker. And finally, in February of 2019, an electric wheelchair became necessary as the disease continued to progress.
Throughout my struggles of the progression of ALS, I have to thank Christy and the ALS Society of Alberta for providing me with the equipment that I have needed to make my life more comfortable. In addition to providing the walking assistance equipment, they have also equipped my home with stair lifts, as well as a wheelchair lift to provide me easier access to and around my home. Without the ALS Society and the support of my family and friends, I could not imagine what life would be like trying to cope with this disease. So I would like to thank everyone for their support and encourage everyone to come join us at the Hinton Walk to End ALS on June 16, 2019 at the Green Square in Hinton to help raise awareness and to support all people affected by ALS.”