A quick word to say that Travis & I are heading off today to join Heather & Andy in Tuscany.  I have been feeling a little tired and broken lately and am looking forward to some chill time in a beautiful setting.  Thanks to all of my friends and family for all of my birthday wishes, it truly helps to lift me up during difficult times.  A special thank you to Danny and my CMHA peeps who have organized a committee of people to come check in on me, visit me and help with things such as doctors appointments etc.  I know how busy you guys are and I feel immensely grateful for your continued support.  Looking forward to catching up with everyone when we return from Italy!

Thank you to Heather, Andy, Clem, Anthony, Tyler, Margaret and Kelly who participated in the Hudson Valley Walk to defeat ALS, as I couldn't be there in person, Tyler represented me, can you see the resemblance?

Our purpose in coming to Canada was not for a ‘holiday’. It was to spend quality time with our family, experience their circumstances, friends, family (yes Dory and Buddy that includes you), their surroundings and to be useful. Have we achieved the objective? Absolutely, and Travis and Carol and their friends and family have gone out of their way to treat us to a real Canadian experience (dare we say ‘holiday’) during our 4 weeks here. Have we packed in a lot? Yes from quiet times puzzling together to one of our favourite activities -  animal watching, be it a squirrel in a park or arctic wolves at Omega Park.
 
Thank you to Travis and Carols’ friends and family who enveloped us and treated us more than generously. Peter and Louise for hosting us in your Montreal home, for delicious meals, our introduction to Tim Hortons and homely walks. Al and Jeannie for Kanata walks and bike ride, for an enchanting taste of Gatineau Forests and views and to top it all a first for us, a genuine Thanksgiving dinner with your welcoming Canadian family. Scott and Rosie for our stay at your dreamy Mont Tremblant ‘chalet’. We were like children riding escalators, making full use of the gondola rides and breathing in the surrounding Laurentians Mountains.  Larry and Diane for making us so at home around your BBQ and for the carefully planned Fall leaves road trip bringing mountains, lakes and rivers right up to our car windows.  Last but not least our thanks go to the Monday Morning walking group for accepting us as fellow walkers around your beat.
 
Travis and Carol needn’t have gone to the trouble they did to give us a Canadian experience. We would have been happy to just be together. But their varied itinerary, punctuated with rest days, would make any local travel agent proud. Thank you both! We’ve fallen in love with Ottawa and Kanata especially; your surroundings are wonderfully accessible and gorgeous. 
 
We‘ve walked the passages of your Parliament building, enjoyed the 360° view of Ottawa from the Parliament tower; delighted in the clothing and culture of Canada’s First Nation folk with their original 53 different languages at the History Museum; had a private tour of Brookstreet Hotel with their top sous chef; sauntered the grounds of Trav’s blue and white Cordon Bleu training ‘manor house’ taking in its amazing treed setting and downed a Timothy’s coffee to complete his 2007-8 chef school experience; enjoyed fine French cuisine in a 1925 house, the Le Cheval de Jade restaurant, in Mont Tremblant; strolled and picnicked along the Ottawa river in front of their Corkstown apartment; boated amongst captivating little islands on the St. Lawrence River; experienced their downtown Street Market complete with a cinnamon and brown sugar ‘Beaver Tail’; drove the streets of Carol’s hometown, Montreal; got up close to a full range of Canadian animals in the semi wild, looked with wonder at the exceptionally well-groomed shiny black Royal Canadian Mounted Police horses at their stables and virtually swam with creatures in the depths of the sea at IMAX! A real highlight was getting to experience Carol speaking at the Neurology Clinic at Ottawa Civic Hospital. It was officially Carol’s talk, but sitting next to her, Travis was able to sensitively and appropriately put in additional information – what a team!
 
The Canadian sky was an unexpected gift with unique cloud formations and hues! Breath-taking sunrises from your plant-lined verandah, to the tune of slapping flags and Canadian geese aplenty marching in formation across the icy early morning sky, were rivaled only by the awesome sunsets crowning your forest’s autumn bonanza, framed in your dining room window! We’re returning to Auckland with crisp air kisses on our cheeks gathered along Kanata’s many cycle paths; ironed and waxed Maple leaves of every shade and treasured memories of birds and creatures that chose to show themselves along our frequent meanders. 
 
For sharing your beautifully décor-ed home with us, for illustrating your memories through photobooks and scrapbooks, for patiently teaching us canasta, for hearty field chats, after-work meal times, and being willing to eat dinner on the terrace above your apartment in subnormal temperatures, not to mention the celebration of final puzzle pieces being laid in place, we thank you.

​See photos of the visit on the Gallery page...

Introducing ALS Canada Research Program Webinar Series. Connecting Canadians to ALS Research.  Please join us for this complimentary series informing and discussing the field of ALS research. Hosted by Dr. David Taylor, Director of Research at ALS Canada, learn about the latest advancements in research, how your dollars are funding one of the best research programs in the world and how to get involved in clinical trials to help make ALS a treatable, not terminal disease.

Webinar 1: ALS in 2015: Up to the Challenge

• What is ALS
• The history of ALS research
• Putting the puzzle pieces together
• Treatment is a matter of when, not if

Please register for any one of the following dates: 

October 21, 2015 12:00pm Atlantic Time                                                                                               February 17, 2016 12:00pm Eastern time                                                                                                           June 22, 2016 12:00pm Pacific Time

Webinar 2: Clinical Trials in ALS: Setting Up for Success

• What is a clinical trial and what is the process?
• Current experimental therapeutics in clinical trial for ALS
• How to determine what's real and what's not
• Canadian ALS research network (CALS) and Canadian Neuromuscular Disease Registry (CNDR)

Please register for any one of the following dates:

November 18, 2015 12:00pm Eastern Time                                                                                               March 16, 2016 12:00pm Pacific time                                                                                                           July 20, 2016 12:00pm Atlantic Time

Webinar 3: Canadian ALS Research; World Class Impact

• Who is the Canadian ALS research community?
• What impact are Canadian researchers having on the global effort to finding treatments?
• Some exciting Canadian projects in ALS
• What about international collaboration?

Please register for any one of the following dates:

December 23, 2015 12:00pm Pacific Time                                                                                                   April 20, 2016 12:00pm Atlantic time                                                                                                           August 24, 2016 12:00pm Eastern Time

Webinar 4: ALS Canada Research Program: Investing with a Vision

• ALS Canada's vision and the concept of translational research
• ALS Canada Grants and Awards
• ALS Canada Research Forum
• How else does ALS Canada use donor money to support excellence?

Please register for any one of the following dates:

January 20, 2016 12:00pm AtlanticTime                                                                                                       May 18, 2016 12:00pm Eastern time                                                                                                           September 21, 2016 12:00pm Pacific Time

Register today!  If you need help registering, please contact Vanessa Blount.

The ALS Canada Research Program aims to accelerate research impact through a comprehensive national program focused on translating scientific discoveries into treatments for ALS, and fostering Canada’s strong and networked ALS research community to build capacity and collaboration. Support for the ALS Canada Research Program is made possible by the generosity of donors and the ALS Societies across Canada.


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