Yesterday, we had the honour of visiting our neighbours down the road in Beausejour. Grades 3-6 all assembled in the gym. They will be joining us at the Whitemouth School ALS Walk Friday, May 15th along with family, friends, neighbours and all who can make it. It sounds like 85 kids, teachers, and helpers will be coming from Beausejour. We are so thrilled that the two schools are working together on this. It is all to help anyone anywhere in MB who is diagnosed with ALS.
We were received with open arms from people who have never met us before. The teachers have done a great job in preparing the students for our visit. It has amazed Rick and I how the students in our schools have been so respectful, compassionate and full of thoughtful questions! We always tell the students and teachers they can ask us "anything"...and we mean it! But it always amazes us what some of the questions are.
Joan has this thing where when someone asks her her age...she always says....why do you ask as you know a woman is just going to lie about her age! lol.... Anyways, sure enough she was asked by a student how old she was! This time when she asked the student why the question....the student replied that "she was worried if ALS strikes at age 55 on average, after Rick is gone, might you get ALS as well?" Wow!
We are pretty straight forward with the students about life expectancy, future loss of abilities, like speech, swallowing, holding ones head up, use of arms etc. We do that because we are preparing them for the next time they will see Rick we don't want them to be afraid of him.
Both Rick and I wish we would have had the oportunity as students growing up to have had the experience to meet someone with a terminal disease and talk openly about it with us! Education is not just reading, writing and arithmetic. We hope in some small way that we not only educate about ALS but life lessons as well. As a result of the students questions in these last two assemblies we have talked about everything from dying, to loss of speech, feeding tubes, being afraid, feeling helpless, being angry, finding a cure, and on and on.
We have a dream that perhaps some of the students may be inspired to go into medicine, science, health care, make so much money and donate, or even invent some equipment that will somehow save someone in the future from suffering! We want to inspire not just explain about a disease!!!
Thank you to the principal, all the teachers and of course the students in Beausejour for a wonderful time! See you at the walk!!!!
