Despite not getting a break from the Town of Battleford, a local family is still going ahead with a planned fundraising event.
Mike and Jamie Larose are trying to raise $25,000 for a promising new treatment for Mike, who has multiple sclerosis.
Larose was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, weeks away from his 24th birthday.
"I was doing meter readings at work and I couldn't hold my pen, I couldn't grip it. Then it just got worse and worse," said Larose.
MS is a little-understood disease that affects the central nervous system. Symptoms are unpredictable and vary from person to person and can affect mobility, vision, hearing, memory and balance.
"Everything I like doing I couldn't do anymore; golfing, playing ball and basketball. It all came to a screeching halt," said Mike.
Over time, Mike began to lose the ability to walk. His wife Jamie recalls one of the first concerns Mike voiced was whether or not he would be able to walk his two-year-old daughter Lyric down the aisle on her wedding day.
"That was all he was really worried about; it wasn't that he couldn't play ball anymore or go for bike rides, he thought of her first," said Jamie.
Now, 10 years after being diagnosed, Mike spends his days in a wheelchair. His son, eight-year-old Ty, doesn't remember his father any other way.
Ty said the first thing he would like to do if the treatment works is to simply go for a walk with his dad.
Jamie said they try to make light of Mike's deteriorating condition to avoid putting stress on the kids.
"We've both tried to remain positive, we have each other and we have two wonderful kids," said Jamie.
Mike first heard about the Liberation Treatment last winter, when it was featured on W5. A vascular surgeon by the name of Paolo Zamboni discovered a large number of MS patients suffered from chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), a condition in which blood doesn't properly drain from the brain. This condition can be treated with an angioplasty, a common procedure that involves inserting a balloon-tipped catheter into the blocked or narrowed vein in order to open it up and allow for proper blood flow.
Since Zamboni discovered the link, MS patients have been flocking to the few doctors in the United States who would perform the procedure, but two months ago hospitals began banning the procedure due to fears of legal liabilities. This has forced people to go overseas to have the treatment done.
The MS Society of Canada, together with the National MS Society, has invested $2.4 million into researching the link between CCSVI and MS, but until there is more research behind the Liberation Treatment, they are not advocating the treatment.
"We've heard that it works, and we've heard that it doesn't work," said Stewart Wong, spokesperson for MS Society of Canada.
Wong said he's excited about the possibilities Zamboni's research opens up, but controlled research needs to take place before the procedure will be available in Canada.
Faced with this lengthy process, and having heard success stories from two friends, Mike made the decision to go overseas for the operation, and will be flying to Bulgaria in early September.
But there's one last obstacle: $25,000 - the total cost of the trip.
That's why the Larose family, along with help from Jennifer Scotton, Mike's sister-in-law, are organizing a benefit dance and silent auction, to be held at the Battleford Arena July 16.
They wrote a letter to the Town of Battleford, requesting the cost of renting the arena be waived or reduced, but were turned down.
Unfortunately, council has a policy to deny all requests for a rate reduction in the rental rates of town facilities.
Despite the bad news, the family was understanding.
"If they haven't done it for other people, then so be it," said Jamie. "They can't do it for one and not for all."
Fortunately, family friends Edwin and Rena Smockum pitched in $1,000 for the cost of the arena rental. Edwin owns Over the Edge Yard Care Services, and said his staff's hard work made the donation possible, which he was happy to give.
"It's just my way of trying to help the guy and encourage other people to do the same," said Smockum.
The Larose family is also hosting a slo-pitch tournament July 17 at the Flats.
To register for the tournament, find out about the benefit or make a donation for the silent auction, contact Jennifer Scotton at 446-0102 or Michelle Larose at 441-3266.
