DOCTOR Jeff Sutherland poses with his family at centre ice during a recent charity hockey tournament held in Georgetown for ALS. Contributed Photo It was Jeff Sutherland's 43rd birthday this week.

Eighteen months ago, he was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and as a medic, he was very well aware of what this meant for him: ALS is a fatal and progressive neuromuscular disease.

So, to hear him declare that he deals with it by concentrating on what he can do, rather than decrying what he cannot, wins the profound respect of anyone who is listening.

Born and raised in Halifax, Dr. Sutherland did his initial training at Dalhousie University and followed his medical degree at McMaster. He and his wife Darlene met in their last years of high school and have been together for 25 years and married for 18.

Coming to Georgetown, he joined a family practice, with full hospital privileges. He has done emergency shifts; been responsible for visiting both his own patients and any patients admitted through emergency.

He was proud to say that he has delivered more than 400 babies in the Georgetown area, and has risen to the position of Assistant Chief of Staff at the Georgetown Hospital.

He was recently awarded the Georgetown Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award in recognition of his contribution to medicine and the community.

For the time being, he is living his life as much as usual as he can. Although the muscular functions and strength of his left arm and legs is declining, he still attends his office and sees a full list of patients.

He told me he needs help with the paper work and the typing reports, but a preliminary discussion with his secretary assured me of their loyalty and enthusiasm for assisting him in anyway. Certainly, he holds their affection and deep respect.

Dr. Sutherland has three "beautiful boys" who are 14, 12 and 11 years old. He has coached their teams in soccer and hockey over the years, which he loved to do.

He explained that there are different types of ALS which affect people in different ways and that the prognosis for older people is worst than for someone his age. However, he admits the disease is a mystery, both as to what causes it and how to treat, let alone cure, it.

In dealing with the disease, Dr. Sutherland said, "I keep adapting to my circumstances." He commented with gratitude in his voice: "My family have been wonderful and the community is just amazing."

This year will see the first WALK for ALS in Georgetown. The WALKS in towns throughout Ontario support the ALS Society of Ontario. The WALK takes place on June 6, for which the details are on www.walkforals. ca.

The founders of the Brampton WALK, also taking place June 6, are Al Pettit and his wife, Dee. Mr. Pettit has been living with ALS for six years. As a captain of the Mississauga Fire Department, he underwent a quadruple heart bypass in 1999, after which he carried on with light duties at the fire department.

In 2002, he and his wife went to the Philippines to visit their son, Chris. While there, Mr. Petit noticed a twitching in his legs. A visit to the doctor in January 2003 took him off the cholesterol drugs he was taking but by June, he said he was feeling really "crappy." So, at the age of 53, he decided he had to retire.

That October, a neurologist diagnosed him with ALS and told him, as doctors do tell their patients with the disease: "Get your affairs in order and go and do the things you've always wanted to."

"It took me a year to get it," he told me, "and then I decided that I am going to live with ALS — I'm not going to die of it. I'm not gonna let it beat me."

The Pettits had planned to build an apartment in the basement of their daughter's home and travel to the Philippines in the winters. As it happened, the apartment was perfectly arranged to accommodate the facilities necessary to help Mr. Pettit cope with his condition. He and Dee moved in about 3 1/2 years ago.

All of the equipment they are using, including the motorized wheelchair valued at $23,000 is provided by the ALS Society, which raises funds through the WALKS staged across Ontario.

Mr. and Mrs. Pettit's daughter Tara is a registered nurse who has the knowledge and skills to help them understand what to do when there is a crisis.

While it was still possible, they went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon; they made a return trip to Cuba and he went sky diving with his son-in-law and another friend.

He has attended the weddings of his two children and seen the birth of three granddaughters.

He keeps himself busy with his online ALS support site, from which he can correspond with people from all over the world. He has heard from people from 70 countries, looking for support and advice on how to cope.

Relatively speaking, Mr. Pettit is standing up to the disease very well. He has already lived much longer than the norm, with a disease that frequently kills within five years and sometimes much more quickly.

He attributes his comparative well being, in part, to a small collection of vitamins and supplements he takes: Creatinemonohydrate (a supplement for body builders), vitamins E and C, and Coenzyme Q 10. These were recommended by his doctor at Sunnybrook as being possibly helpful.

Mr. Pettit commented: "Being a firefighter, you know there's a job that is hard and scary to be done but you go and do it. This [ALS] is hard and scary but I try to think of something positive and I live for today."

The Brampton WALK for ALS on June 6 has registration at 8:20 a.m. at the Jim Archdekin Recreation Centre, 292 Conestoga Drive, and is a 5-km stretch. The local telephone number for more information is 519- 940-8357.

Seventy percent of the money raised in the Walks provides equipment and support service to those afflicted, while 30% goes to research. There is no facility for full-time home nursing; as little as 20 to 30 hours a month can be allocated to anyone so that the burden of care falls squarely on the shoulders of the family. The equipment needed to assist in this care costs thousands of dollars which the fund raising aids in financing.

Mr. Pettit's website is www. alsforums.com.

When I asked Mr. Pettit what he would tell young people about what is important, he replied, "Live for today but plan for tomorrow. Family is more important than you'll ever know."

He paused and added: "Don't give up."