An Olds Habitat for Humanity homeowner and her son have not only seen big changes in their housing, they've also had to deal with a major medical challenge.
In December 2011, Angie Durant's son Ty, 11, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy. It's a genetic, degenerative disease for which there's no cure.
“It's really ballooned our costs. I had to get a whole new vehicle – an SUV for his wheelchair,” Angie says. There are all those trips into Calgary for specialists several times a year. Then there's constant physio and additional financial stress.”
Durant says Ty fatigues very quickly. The two of them do a lot of work to strengthen him.
“We have a lot of stairs in our house so we do a lot of exercises to make sure he's able to go up and down the stairs. His bedroom is upstairs and the main living room is in the middle,” Durant says. “Fortunately, he's a type 3; that means he's more of a mild case.”
The cost of the battle to fight the disease has taken a toll on Durant's finances. She's a family school wellness worker for the Chinook's Edge School Division in Innisfail, so in addition to all the trips in and out of Calgary to deal with Ty's disease, she also has the cost of that commute.
