Deana Davis will be lacing up this weekend for the ALS walk in Halifax, a cause close to her heart.
“In 2011 my husband was diagnosed with ALS,” says Deana.
That diagnosis motivated Deana and her husband Darrell Cottam to get involved with the ALS Society.
“There was times when Darrell needed their services, so we got to know the staff there and we got to know the work they did with people with ALS,” says Deana. “It was an amazing experience to have that support.”
Darrell died nearly four years after his diagnosis and Deana says she’s made it her personal goal to advocate for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“As a volunteer she lends us her heart and her brain,” says Kimberly Carter, president and CEO of ALS Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. “She quite often comes in and helps our board with important decisions and reconnects us to why we do what we do.”
Deana's co-workers say she's always brought sunshine into their office, even when she was going through a hard time.
“This office is like family, and no matter how hard Deana's days were, or how long they were when she had issues in helping Darrell, she would lend her ear, lend her heart to you, no matter what,” says Sue Ritter, Deana’s co-worker.
She continues to organize fundraisers for the society, educating her colleagues about ALS and encouraging them to get involved.
Deana says the one message she wants to send to everyone living with ALS is to never stop living. She and her husband continued to take trips when possible and enjoyed every moment together.
“I think it's important to talk about it because not many people talk about terminal diseases, we fear it, I think, as human beings,” says Deana. “It's not an easy conversation, it wasn't an easy experience to have, that's for sure.”
Congratulations to Deana Davis, our Maritimer of the Week.
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