Friday
December 18, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 101)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
Commercial appeal: A White Rock dog, Tramp, is getting plenty of screen time this holiday season – and if all goes well, the canine actor might be even busier in the months to come. i see page 17
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
ALS diagnosis
$3.5-billion estimate
Fighting for mom
Deas bridge to be tolled
Melissa Smalley
I
Staff Reporter
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t’s a typical rainy Sunday in the Hamelin household. The younger of the blended family’s six children run boisterously around the South Surrey split-level home, pretend sword-fighting and leaping from furniture, landing with a crash on the carpeted floor. The older boys lounge lethargically, glued to their smart phones, baseball caps pulled down almost to their noses. Cindy – mom in a family of five boys and one girl, aged two to 19 – navigates around the home’s tight corners and though narrow doorways with a motorized wheelchair, coming to a stop near a brown leather couch in the living room; her husband, Tyler, helps her from the wheelchair to a spot on the couch. Three short months ago, Cindy was enjoying the remnants of a hot, sunny summer, having water fights in the backyard and jumping through sprinklers with her children. Last month, the 38-year-old was diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neuromuscular disease – also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – for which there is no cure. Cindy first noticed mild symptoms in February, when she experienced weakness in her left hand. Thinking it would go away, she put it out of her mind for Melissa Smalley photo months, until September, when Cindy and Tyler Hamelin, with five of their children: Mathew, 17, Jordan, 19, Lucas, 2, Josh, 10, and Dylan, 5. she started inexplicably falling. Her family doctor referred her to I thought maybe it was like MS. age, gender and ethnicity, and water over their heads, pledging to a neurologist, Dr. Gurwant Singh, They wouldn’t really give me any early symptoms include difficulty donate and challenging others to who ordered an MRI to check for details, and when I went back to walking, weakness in hands and do the same. tumours. When the scans came the truck, I Googled ALS. I was legs, slurred speech or muscle Cindy watched videos of people back clear, he told Cindy her just shocked and just horrified for cramps and twitching. taking part – including her own symptoms pointed my children.â€? According to ALS Canada, nieces – never knowing what an towards ALS. On Nov. 12, the approximately 2,500-3,000 effect the campaign, which raised â??When I went back to the “I knew, from Canadians are living with $17 million for ALS Canada, truck, I Googled ALS. I diagnosis was the beginning,â€? ALS; the average lifespan after would have for her. was just shocked and just confirmed. Cindy told Peace Amyotrophic diagnosis is two to five years. “I’m so thankful for the icehorrified for my children.â?ž lateral sclerosis is Arch News earlier The disease was cast into the bucket challenge,â€? Cindy said, Cindy Hamelin this month. “When a neuromuscular spotlight in the summer of 2014 noting the donations made it I saw Dr. Singh, disease in with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge possible for ALS Canada to when he told me what he thought which nerve cells die and leave – a social-media campaign that provide her with the motorized it was, the look in his eyes. voluntary muscles paralyzed. It saw millions of people around wheelchair at no cost. “I didn’t know what ALS was, can affect anyone regardless of the world dump buckets of ice i see page 4
Jeff Nagel Black Press
Building a new bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel is estimated to cost $3.5 billion and Transportation Minister Todd Stone says it will be tolled, with motorists paying a similar amount as they do at the Port Mann Bridge. Transportation ministry officials laid out details of the project, which will include the 10-lane bridge over Deas Island Park on the Fraser River and improvements to 25 kilometres of Highway 99, including three rebuilt interchanges. Two of the bridge lanes will be HOV/transit lanes. “Wait times today are unacceptable and they are projected to get worse,� Stone said at a briefing in Richmond Wednesday. The project-definition report claims commuters will save up to 30 minutes if they pay to cross the new bridge but it also projects 14 per cent of current traffic will divert to the Alex Fraser bridge to avoid tolls. Officials admit that will mean even heavier congestion at the Alex Fraser Bridge as a result, but Highway 99 motorists will ultimately face the same choice as those at Highway 1 – pay in cash for a quicker crossing or wait at the free one. Stone said he remains committed to exploring bridge-toll reforms if both the new Massey and Pattullo bridges end up being tolled. “We want to hear from British Columbians on the toll, including any thoughts people have on tolling from a regional perspective,� he said, hinting that it may make sense to toll the Alex Fraser. i see page 10
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