ALS community stories
Each person’s experience with ALS is different and comes with a unique set of challenges that spark inspiration and hope. It is through sharing these experiences that we can help one another.
When we fight together,
we thrive together
The ALS community might be small, but we are mighty. Here, we honour and share stories that touch on many dimensions of the impacts ALS has had on people and their families.
Because together, we fight – we fight for ALS awareness, for hope and for the support that we all need for ourselves and our loved ones.
Stories from your community
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A best friend’s life-changing decision
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My journey from athlete to ALS warrior
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How early access to multidisciplinary care can improve outcomes for those living with ALS
ALS Video Series: Conversations with Mike and Carmen
This video series provides a candid look on life with ALS through the lens of Mike and Carmen Cels and their family. The couple discusses the real-life challenges they have encountered since Mike’s ALS diagnosis and the strategies that have helped them throughout their journey.
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Episode 1: Advice for someone recently diagnosed
Mike and Carmen share insights on the importance of gaining acceptance early in the course of ALS as a key step toward becoming empowered.
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Episode 2: What would I do differently?
Mike and Carmen discuss the value of connecting with others and learning from their experiences.
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Episode 3: Strategies
Discover the practical and personal strategies that Mike and Carmen have explored to make life with ALS easier one day at a time.
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Episode 4: Ability to cope
Mike and Carmen share how they’ve learnt to cope, what that means for them and how it continues to evolve throughout their ALS journey.
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Episode 5: Living differently
With ALS, every day may look different. Here, Mike opens up about the frustrations of ALS and how he and his family overcome new challenges.
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Episode 6: Emotional and mental health
Mike and Carmen highlight the value of connection and how their personal strategies have helped them offset the mental and emotional toll of ALS.
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Episode 7: Taking action
Being one step ahead of ALS isn’t easy, but it can make a difference. Mike and Carmen discuss the importance of early action to help prepare for the road ahead.
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Episode 8: Expectations vs reality
The expectations around a disease, such as ALS, can be different from the reality it brings every day. In this video, Mike and Carmen share their reflections on managing expectations, support from family and friends, resource accessibility and the importance of taking each day as it comes.
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Episode 9: Major milestones
Mike and Carmen share how they turned major milestones along their journey into small victories – from accepting Mike’s diagnosis, maximizing their time together and travelling as a family, to remaining hopeful and focused on living in the moment
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Episode 10: The hardest adjustments
The progressive nature of ALS may involve different adjustments of different magnitudes. But these can be just as difficult all the same. Here, Mike and Carmen describe their hardest adjustments as a family and their individual struggles as caregiver and patient when dealing with ALS.
Professional insights
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Working to improve the lives of Canadians impacted by ALS:
Q&A with Dr. Lorne Zinman -
The role of spiritual care in ALS:
Q&A with Lana Kim McGeary -
Optimizing nutrition in ALS
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Nurse perspectives: The gift of caring for people with ALS
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Improving the quality of life for ALS patients through speech and language pathology (SLP)
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Maintaining independence while living with ALS with the help of occupational therapy
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The Role of a Respirologist on the ALS Care Team
