If you had asked the Teeter family a few years ago if they would be the driving force behind organizing the Wellington North Walk for ALS held in Mount Forest this past weekend, the answer would probably have been no.
For that matter, like the rest of us, they probably didn’t know much about ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). Most of us have heard of it but most of us probably couldn’t have told you much about it.
All that changed for the Teeter family when patriarch, Kevin, was diagnosed with ALS in June 2008. He had first begun to notice a problem in 2007, beginning with recurring cramps and a surprise fall. Following CAT scans and a whole battery of other tests he was diagnosed with ALS. He died in March.
ALS causes progressive muscle weakness and paralysis in those affected, essentially taking away more and more functionality before, ultimately, as in he case of Kevin Teeter, claiming their lives.
Mr. Teeter sat down and talked with the Confederate a year before his death. In an effort to possibly find a breakthrough or in some small way help someone else stricken with ALS, he volunteered to test trial pills. He knew they wouldn’t stop the disease – there is no known cure – but he wanted to help others who in the future would be stricken with ALS.  If studying he effects of the pills when he took them could help, then that’s what he wanted to do.
Ashley Teeter has said that while her father was ill, and while the illness put both a financial and emotional strain on the family, she felt “helpless”, that she just wanted “to help, but you can’t”.  But Ashley certainly found a way to help. Inspired by her father’s selfless determination, she committed to helping others and Saturday’s first annual Wellington North Walk for ALS was the result. It was one of many across the province as part of a program organized by the ALS Society of Ontario.
The ALS Society raises awareness and helps provide families like Ashley’s with the medical equipment and home-care necessary to deal with the disease, and also funds research towards a cure.  From a modest beginning in 2001 with only eight walks across Canada, the Walk for ALS has grown to become a national event with over 75 walks.
Ashley turned down a request for an interview with The Confederate prior to Saturday’s walk. She said there have been a number of write-ups in the paper – with her family while her Dad was still alive, about her when she was nominated as Mount Forest Young Citizen of the Year last month – and she thinks there has been enough. Fair enough.
But, we at The Confederate join the community in commending Ashley and her group of friends for organizing Saturday’s event and bringing the Walk for ALS to Wellington North. It was a job well done.