Ann Van Sickle: A remarkable patient

September 22, 2009

By Kate Dubinski, London Free Press

For 64 years, Ann Van Sickle has lived with a progressive neurological illness

that causes severe pain and requires a lot of care.

Van Sickle hasn't let the disease, called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) stop her

from living life and her perseverance will be honoured tomorrow at a tribute

dinner put on by the St. ph's Foundation.

" I've always been an advocator and educator for the disabled, " Van Sickle said

yesterday.

Van Sickle volunteers at Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care, where she was a

patient for several months years ago.

" I like to volunteer and Mount Hope is an extremely positive environment. I

didn't know if I would spend the rest of my life there. The medical staff there

helped me get my pain under control and it made me be able to live on my own the

way I do now, " Van Sickle said.

Along with her dog Keep'er, a nine-year-old yellow Lab, Van Sickle visits

patients, helps teach computer skills, and helps with recreational programming —

Van Sickle studied to be a therapeutic and outdoor recreation programmer and

lived in Alberta doing just that for more than two decades.

She also participated in the Ontario Games in London in the 1970s.

Keep'er is a " big hit " with Mount Hope patients but she's also a lifeline for

Van Sickle.

" My neurological disability is similar to someone who would have muscular

dystrophy. I walked until I was 13 years old. Over the years I have gotten more

and more weak and I need physical help. "

Keep'er can pick things up off the ground — a pen or a coin that Van Sickle has

dropped, for example — and she can also take off Van Sickle's coat or hat, she

can open doors and pull the covers down so her owner can climb into bed.

" She's a good companion and a great help, " Van Sickle said.

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