A mechanic sees his life turned upside down

Michel Tremblay's life has changed a great deal since last June. He is living with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou-Gehrig's disease or the disease made famous by the "Ice Bucket Challenge".

The 53 year old mechanic who lives in Ormstown owns his own shop. He has had to alter the way he works because of this degenerative disease.

"I have trouble walking, my muscles give out all the time. The loss of income frustrates me a lot," admits Michel Tremblay during an interview with The Gleaner.

The first symptoms appeared in 2014 but it was not until last June that he received an official diagnosis.

At the beginning, he went to the Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown and he then underwent neurological tests at the Hôpital du Suroît in Valleyfield. "I took an EMG test with needles in my muscles. That was when I found out I had Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis," said Tremblay.

This largely unknown disease is caused by the progressive deterioration of motor neurons that send electrical "messages" from the brain to the spinal cord or from the spinal cord to the muscles. These cells control muscle movement.

When messages sent by the spinal cord no longer travel correctly, muscles end up losing strength and mass. This phenomenon is called amyotrophy. When the signals no longer travel from the brain to the spinal cord, the muscles become stiff and slow.

Medical experiment

In an effort to slow down the progress of the disease, Michel Tremblay has been participating in the clinical trial of an experimental medication at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal since December.

"Currently, approximately 500 people are in clinical trials in the world," he remarked. Some 3000 people are suffering from ALS in the country.

Every year, approximately 1 person in 100,000 is diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Men are more likely to have it than women. Symptoms appear between the ages of 50 and 75.

Family Day in August

Inspite of his illness, Michel Tremblay has remained positive and wants to raise funds for SLA/ALS Québec (sla-quebec.ca).

His Mini Cooper car has been decorated with the " Ice Bucket Challenge" colours by Enseignes Dumas from Coteau-du-Lac to raise awareness about this disease among the general public.

Furthermore, he would like to organize a Family Day  which will take place at Lindsay-Cullen Park in Ormstown next August. On the menu: an Ice Bucket Challenge, activities for the young and not so young, promotion and plenty more. Profits from this event will be given to SLA/ALS Québec. Date and details for this special day will be announced in the coming months.

Translated by Cathleen Johnston