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15| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,June 7,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca Stay Current... From the latest information on local politics, to minor sports scores to what's going on down the street, visit www.waterloochronicle.ca CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY CITY LIFE Visit waterloochronicle.cafor more coverage Angie Abdey getsby with the helpof her friendsthese days as ALS is slowly stealing away the use of her hands and requires others to do the things she always took for granted - like eating or driving. Abdey was first diag- nosed in 2015 after people, including her partner, noticed changes in her movement and ability to do things. She was a top-notch quality inspection expert working with companies like Toyota, but she couldn't do some of the work that was second na- ture to her and eventually had to give up some of her manual duties and focus her energies in other direc- tions. "I was having issues at work an was having trou- ble holding gauges and parts and I just thought I was being Angie - a klutz," said the 46-year-old mother of one. "Being an awesome supervisor I trained every- body else on how to do my job, and a friend of mine told me he was going to kick my butt if I didn't go to a doctor and get things checked out. "I thought it was just a pinched nerve, which was my cover story for a really long time. ALS was that thing that guy in the wheel- chair - Stephen Hawking - had, not me." The worst is that Abdey was always the caregiver, the caretaker and the per- son who helped the people around her. She was always there for someone in need, and now finds the shoe is on the other foot. She was still driving until last fall, and was available to help friends, families or fellow ALS suffers at a moment's notice. "The toughest thing is asking for help when I was the person who was always helping," said Abdey. She's lost the use of her left arm and hand, and is having trouble with her left ankle. She thought she figured out the progression of the disease, which has no none cure, and that her right shoulder would be next, but instead the paral- ysis has started in her right hand. "The pinching grip on my right hand is starting to go," said Abdey. "But fortu- nately, like a lot of the peo- ple, I haven't developed a lot of the respiratory is- sues." Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is also know as Lou Gehrig's disease, and affects the motor neurons in the body gradually caus- ing paralysis and eventu- ally death. It can hit at any age, and while there is a genetic component and research that hereditary may have a role to play, there are more questions than answers. It can strike anyone and it can strike randomly. Abdey has a remarkable sense of humour about her condition and has managed to keep it through her struggles as she matter-of- factly discusses what the disease is doing to her. She got her diagnosis in 2015 and continued to work, with her employers modi- fying her job to accommo- date the exemplary em- ployee until she couldn't do it anymore. "They're still having an issue replacing me, but that's because I'm awe- some," Abdey said with a laugh. A support group has started up around her, especially people she's met through the ALS Society of Canada including Anna Acheson, who lost her mom Margaret Edwards to the disease in 2016, and Arnie Wohlgemut, who has become Abdey's "chauf- feur." She had all those people in stitches as she told her story. "Now I'm depending on the kindness of strangers to get places," said Abdey. "I'm just going day by day and not letting me get it down because of the power of positive thinking and all." She's also continuing the fight against the dis- ease by telling her story and volunteering at the ALS Walk this Saturday, June 9, 10:30 a.m. at the Waterloo public square. Last year she rustled up a lot of donations and was the water bearer, lugging dozens of cases of water in her truck for participants of the annual walk. A team called Angie's Army also came out to support her. This year almost all of the food and drink has been supplied again by donors like Pillers, and a local real estate agent at Tudose Sadler is donating part of their next commission to the cause in hopes that the walk exceeds its goal of raising $125,000 this year. "When people see me and I tell them my story, how can they say no," said Abdey, with her now com- mon laughter. "I still wake up and say I'm going to do this and do this, and run the Boston Marathon, and we'll go from there." Joanna Oachis, regional manager for the area for the ALS Society of Canada, said Abdey has been an inspiration and a joy to get to know and work with. "We're proud to have her," said Oachis. "We have a great team and our team is growing, and Angie is a big part of that team and has helped us a lot. Un- fortunately she can't do as much but she's able to come and watch and show her support." For more information, or to sponsor a team or an individual walker, visit www.als.ca. Angie Abdey, centre, hasn't let a diagnosis of ALS get her down. Not with support from Anna Acheson, left, Arnie Wohlgemut, and Joann Oachis, right, from the ALS Society of Canada. They will be all in attendance for the annual ALS Walk at the Waterloo public square June 9 starting at 10:30 a.m. Bob Vrbanac Photo Getting by with the help of her friends BOB VRBANAC bvrbanac@waterloochronicle.ca