Meet our 2009 Rotary Easter Seals Ambassadors

NEWS RELEASE

ROTARY CLUB OF SAULT STE. MARIE

************************* 2009 Sault Ste. Marie Easter Seals Ambasadors announced

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - Imagine being a parent and taking your young child to the mall.

You look around and see kids laughing and leaping on the mechanical train or rocket ship rides.

You see other kids vigorously stomping or yelling and pointing at toys with their noses pressed snail-like against the shop windows.

But your child only looks exhausted and slumps weakly on a bench.

He falls when he stands, as if his legs are very tired.

You know then that something is wrong.

Rick and Cathy­ Moreau don’t have to imagine this scenario.

It is precisely how they remember first suspecting that their sons, Cody and Jesse, were not like the other kids at the mall.

“The first doctor we brought them to thought it was just growing pains,” says Rick.

But when the suspicious fatigue continued, the concerned parents brought their boys to another specialist where the diagnosis, this time, was much different.

Cody, age 14, and Jesse, age 13, are the 2009 Sault Ste. Marie Easter Seals Ambassadors.

They have been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

Duchenne’s is a genetic, degenerative disease that primarily affects the voluntary muscles of the body, including the heart and lungs.

Early in their development, DMD victims display a generalized weakness in the hips, shoulders and thighs which means they will have to spend their growing years in a wheelchair.

But Duchenne’s has never stopped the resilient Moreau boys from leading a normal childhood.

Nowhere is their strength and determination better seen than on those wheelchairs themselves.

Both of the boys have personalized their wheelchairs, turning what were once spaces of confinement into expressions of their independence and their identity.

Jesse, the younger of the two, chose the design of a skull with red, glowing eyes for his wheelchair joystick because he thought it was “really cool.”

Cody selected an eight ball, which dad says is a perfect symbol for his personality.

“You can’t sink him until the end, you know? He’s just lasting; he makes sure things are done right to the end. He’s enduring.”

Both the boys, in fact, display strong identities.

Cody is in Grade 9 at Bawating Collegiate where his favorite subject is science.

Jesse, also at Bawating, is in the 7-8 split class and his favorite subject is art.

Both Cody and Jesse especially enjoy gym and love to go swimming and cycling.

The boys are also big hockey fans and support the hometown Greyhounds whenever they play.

However, cheering rivalries ensue in NHL action because Cody is a fan of the Calgary Flames and Jesse, a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

They love classic rock from the 70s and 80s, movies of all kinds, and share Dallas, a Yorkshire Terrier, which has a special relationship with the boys.

“Oh, the dog loves them,” laughs Rick. “They play around together a lot, and Dallas always runs to them and jumps into bed and cuddles with them before school.”

In an inspiring gesture, Cody and Jesse specifically requested to represent the Sault Ste. Marie community of Easter Seals children by being the 2009 Ambassadors.

Asked why they wanted to be ambassadors so much, Rick says that “They wanted to give back as good as they got; to say ‘thank you’ for everything.”

Indeed, the Moreau family believes they have much to be thankful for.

Because of their boys’ disabilities, the Moreaus required modifications to their home to make it more accessible, including wheelchair ramps in the front and the back and installments in the bathrooms to make movement easier and safer.

Additionally, every six months the boys are required to travel to Toronto for examinations and advanced treatments.

The costs of these expenses would be difficult for most families to handle by themselves and the Moreaus are no exception.

However, thanks to the Easter Seals, the Moreaus were assisted with travel grants and with funds for the necessary upgrades and ramps needed for their home.

Their travel van, also, was modified to accommodate the wheelchairs.

The Moreaus find great comfort knowing that Easter Seals will continue to support them as the boys continue to grow.

Cody and Jesse will need adjustments to their equipment as they ‘straighten out’ and their trips to Toronto will become more frequent.

The Moreau family is grateful that Easter Seals will be there for them in the upcoming years to help with the costs associated with the boys’ needs.

The contributions from Easter Seals Ontario have made life a little easier for the entire Moreau family.

“My heart is out to these people,” dad says. “Every time I needed a helping hand they were there. We had been denied by other organizations but Easter Seals was there for us as soon as we asked for help. We are tremendously thankful for them.”

As for Cody and Jesse, they will continue to display their gratitude when they attend upcoming fundraising events like the Hockey Pub Night, Snowarama, Penny Power and the Easter Seals Telethon.

Easter Seals is equally as thankful to have two boys as fiercely committed to the cause as are Cody and Jesse and look to make 2009 a memorable year with these sterling ambassadors.

With over 20,000 children and youth with physical disabilities in Ontario, Easter Seals relies on public support to make a difference.

Families rely on Easter Seals to help purchase essential equipment such as walkers, wheelchairs, porch lifts and ramps, as well as communication devices and bathing equipment.

Easter Seals also offers fully accessible camp and funding for other recreational activities.

The Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie has been in partnership with Easter Seals since 1923, and is committed to presenting Snowarama, Penny Power and the Easter Seals Telethon in Sault Ste. Marie on behalf of Easter Seals Ontario.

Upcoming fund-raising events include:

Battle of the Sections Friday, February 20, at the Soo Greyhound game

Snowarama for Easter Seals Saturday, February 21, 8 a.m. start at the Algoma Rod & Gun Club

Easter Seals Telethon Sunday, April 5, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Shaw Cable channel 10 (network show is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., all-local show 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.)

For more information or to donate visit this website or click here.

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