“My name is Wayne McCrackin and I am honored to be the 2024 Red Deer Walk Together for ALS Ambassador. I hope that sharing the story of my ALS journey will bring some hope to others currently traveling down this same road.
My life up to this point has been blessed with exceptionally good health, including a significant amount of physical activity as I was in the construction industry. In 2022, I noticed some diminishing strength in my hands and arms when opening a water bottle or simply getting the lid off a jar. I also began to lose weight and my family began to comment that my arms and shoulders were getting thin.
I also had several falls during this time, as it seemed my balance was not what it used to be. In early 2023, I made an appointment with my local physician in Innisfail who took my concerns very seriously and ordered many tests to rule out reasons for my weight loss and failing strength. In April of 2023, my doctor booked me in for an EMG with a specialist in Calgary to test for ALS. At the end of that appointment, the specialist compassionately told us that he was 99% convinced it was ALS.
Words will never convey the emotions that my wife Evelyn and I felt at that moment. Life up to this point was amazing. We have two wonderful daughters who have gifted us with six beautiful grandchildren. Our lives revolved around them and their extended families.
I was soon booked in for confirmation of my ALS diagnosis at the South Health Campus in Calgary. There, we were treated with the utmost respect and genuine compassion from the moment we arrived. The ALS Society of Alberta has supported us beyond anything we could have imagined! We receive regular phone calls and visits to see how we are doing - the support we are getting from this Society is amazing – they even laugh (politely) at my silly “dad jokes”.
I am extremely fortunate to have support coming from so many people, but first and foremost, my family! Evelyn is a former nurse who has come out of retirement to care for me – she even has an “ALS Everything Binder”! My daughters Erin and Rachelle and their families have been there for me in amazing ways. My extended family calls and texts me regularly with words of encouragement. I have been blessed with a huge circle of close friends in several locations where we have lived and worked. I traveled with a group playing music and am fortunate to have made many close friends from this over the years. For over 20 years, I have worked for Corrections Canada and have developed many great friendships there. After my diagnosis, they organized a fundraiser to send my family and me to Seattle for two baseball games. This is a memory that each of us will cherish forever!
Admittedly, I am devastated to have ALS, however, the ALS Society of Alberta makes dealing with everything so much easier. My family and I are so grateful for supporters of the Society – both in their quest to help people living with ALS and in their determination to find a cure. I look forward to seeing you at the Red Deer Walk or group meetings supporting this cause."
- Wayne McCrackin