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    Swallowed by Als Tsunami
    Swallowed by Als Tsunami
    Swallowed by Als Tsunami
    Ebook98 pages1 hour

    Swallowed by Als Tsunami

    By Anverali Najak

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    About this ebook

    Currently, there are three-thousand-plus and thousands more in the rest of the world suffering the deadly disease ALS, who will die as there is no cure for this neurological disorder.
    This book narrates the life story of one ordinary person who had extraordinary vision to lift members of his community, whose vision unfortunately will remain unfulfilled because he is dying due to ALS.
    This will make very healthy people aware that they too can fall victim to this incurable, deadly disease.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTrafford Publishing
    Release dateJan 25, 2012
    ISBN9781466909922
    Swallowed by Als Tsunami
    Author

    Anverali Najak

    He was a very healthy person, who used to go to the gym regularly, who played sports, who was very active in educating youths and seniors; but he suddenly became a victim of the deadly neurological disease called ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

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      Book preview

      Swallowed by Als Tsunami - Anverali Najak

      Contents

      THE GOOD OLD DAYS END

      IT’S A BOY

      MY YOUTH

      MATRIMONY AND DIASPORAS

      HAMILTON ROOTS

      DIAGNOSIS AND THE BEGINNING OF THE ALS TSUNAMI

      In the end, what will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate my example

      My last word to my family and friends

      First of all, I would like to thank my wife and my daughter Alysha for really taking care of me all these years, especially during the last few years of my sickness. I have lived a very happy life and have no regrets in life, the only one being I will not be able to teach Ayaan a lot of things which would help him to choose a good career in his life.

      I would like to thank you for having the patience to bear with me and to type my words as I narrated them to you, I know it was very difficult often because I was talking to a mask, special thanks to Doug Wong, Alex Abraham and Madeleine Benoit the visiting Nurse.

      Thanks to Sarah McGuire for constant help and guidance. ALS society for provided me with all the equipment to partly survive the tsunami attach of ALS.

      Thanks to Josh Willms for correcting and proof reading the script, to Az, thank you for your guidance and creativity.

      Thanks to my relatives and friends for visiting, uplifting me and bringing delicious foods.

      THE GOOD OLD DAYS END

      It was early in the morning, about 6:30am, and I was traveling along the skyway in Burlington, on my way to work in Hamilton, at US Steel. For a newcomer or tourist, the view from the skyway presents a beautiful scene. Excess gas from a blast furnace burns into a large, unabated plume, emitting bright light into the heaving, yet empty horizon. The coke ovens similarly release continuous smoke and carcinogens into the atmosphere. Nearby, thick clouds of steam rise from the central boiler station and other major leaks in the plant, spreading rapidly into the cold air and camouflaging the old, crumbling plant. Out on the water, hundreds of private boats race out of the harbor and into the lake, as if trying to escape the pollutants. As I observed this scene from the skyway, I wondered to myself, How much longer am I going to work here? Since the takeover of Stelco by the American-owned US Steel, my job was no longer a challenge; all of the research and innovation in the company took place in the United States. Retirement seemed to be the only option, I thought, but how can a creative, active, analytical man sit idle?

      Just a couple of days earlier, my wife and I had bought a Laundromat in Etobicoke, at the intersection of Lakeshore Boulevard and Islington Avenue. It was similar to the Laundromat that I had owned in Hamilton twenty years earlier, but in better condition. This small business would keep me on my toes, I thought. I would have to help my wife at the Laundromat in the evenings, and run the Laundromat on my own on weekends. I would be working long hours, but that is true with any business owner.

      The motor neurons in my brain were acting normally, as was my spinal cord. I had full control of my muscles. I enjoyed learning how to repair my own machines, usually by reading and following the instructions in the manual. On weekends, I would go to the Laundromat early in the morning. Around eleven o’clock, I would go to the gym to have a nice work-out, and to relax in the steam room sauna. I would then re-energize myself with a good lunch before I returned to work, where I’d stay until about three o’clock in the afternoon. These were fun times; the business was booming.

      I retired the following year, after thirty-one years of service. During retirement, I remained active in my personal life and in the community. I had a lot of fun playing tennis with Nabi; our games were usually very close and entertaining. I continued to run/walk five miles once a week near my house. My voluntary service on Fridays at the mosque also continued. I was in charge of special projects at the mosque, bringing together youths and seniors to impart knowledge and entertain them. Volunteering at the mosque often required a lot of creativity; for instance, I remember creating a Jeopardy-style quiz, with an electronic buzzer system, and researching questions for the quiz that covered current affairs, history, music, sports, and other subjects. I also used to travel with my volunteering team to other mosques in the Greater Toronto Area to deliver this program, which was always appreciated by the youths and seniors that we were visiting.

      One hot, early Saturday morning, with the birds still sleeping in their nests, our neighbor’s cats appeared outside the patio door near the kitchen, and stared inside the kitchen, looking, as if something unusual was going to happen. Our neighbor’s dog, usually very quiet in the morning, started barking. All of a sudden, my daughter rushed into the house, and declared to my wife, Mom, I am pregnant. There was jubilation and an aroma of happiness floating in the air. It appeared that my neighbor’s pets already knew of the good news! While I celebrated, I said to my God, What’s going on? You’re keeping me so happy! Now, one more wish. Give me a grandson.

      Shortly after hearing the news of my daughter’s pregnancy, Nabi, my tennis partner, called to ask if I was interested in playing tennis with him the following day. Yes, I told Nabi. It was always a pleasure playing with him.

      When Nabi played tennis the next day, on Sunday afternoon, I noticed something strange. Nabi was, surprisingly, returning my first serve with tremendous ease. This had never happened before. I was totally amazed. I tried to put more pressure and strength into my serve, but there was no change. Is there something wrong with my racket? I thought. Moreover, following only a half an hour of playing, I started to grow tired, which was very unusual for me.

      My religion teaches me that there will be always ups and downs in life; you cannot have everything in life because, otherwise, you will cease to be a human being, and become like God. I had not seen a doctor in ten years, nor did I need to see a doctor during that time. However, following my tennis game with Nabi on that Sunday afternoon, just one day after the news of my daughter’s pregnancy, I decided it was a good time to finally see my family doctor. My family doctor sent me for a complete blood test. My Vitamin B12 was low, so she immediately gave

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