Neighbours rally round Southampton family facing terminal disease
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Hingston/Helliwell family of Southampton after Jamie Hingston, 44, was diagnosed with ALS. Southampton man Jamie Hingston, 44, has been diagnosed with ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurological disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. His wife, Rebecca, informed him of the diagnosis and they are unsure how long he will be able to work. Despite this, the family is not well off and have been supportive of each other. A GoFundMe campaign raised $13,655 towards the $25,000 goal within eight days. Neighbours have expressed hope that the fundraising will help ease the pain.
Published : 2 years ago by Frances Learment in
A few stumbles blamed on a bum knee were the first telltale signs of what would be a fatal diagnosis but when Southampton’s Jamie Hingston started choking while drinking coffee, his concerned wife sent him to the doctor who delivered the worst news – the 44-year-old father and step-father of three had ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is is a neurological disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing. There is no cure to stop or arrest ALS.
“It was a complete shock when Jamie came over to say he wanted to tell me something before I heard it from other people – even then he was thinking of someone other than himself,” Helwig said in an Oct. 20 telephone interview. “Jamie and (wife) Rebecca (Helliwell) are the kind of people who are willing to help anybody and everybody at the drop of a hat,” Helwig said, adding they never ask for anything in return, but are there for everybody in their close, tight knit Alice Street neighbourhood. Helwig said Rebecca told him that her husband was undergoing further tests and at this point was continuing to work as a teamster at Bruce Power but they were unsure how long he would be able to work.
He said Rebecca works at an LCBO outlet.
Although the family is ok, they are not well off, Helwig said, adding they are private people facing a devastating future. “It is actually hopeless because ALS has no cure and is 100 percent fatal and they haven’t given him a great deal of time,” he said, adding he was not surprised by Jamie’s attitude. “He told me he could sit at home and twiddle his thumbs or go out and try to keep his mind off it and that’s what he’s doing.” Keeping his mind off it included a weekend family visit to Wonderland for Fright Night, according to another neighbour Taun Frosst. “Jamie joked that now he gets a disabled discount at Wonderland and a scooter to get around – I’m amazed he is able to joke,” Frosst said, suspecting the light hearted banter was for his benefit because that’s the kind of person Jamie is.
“The family is doing pretty well but there’s no way out of this for them, so anything we can do to help we will do,” Frosst said in an Oct. 22 telephone interview after helping measure for a ramp and accessible bathroom at the family’s home.
Frosst said he’d known Rebecca Helliwell since she was a young girl being raised by her grandparents Frank and Nora Helliwell of Southampton’s Helliwell soccer field fame. He said Jamie is from Owen Sound where his parents live, and that they’d been together for 15 years and married for 11 with a blended family of two girls and a boy. “They are good people who do not deserve this – it is not fair. He’s s not going to go to his daughters’ weddings or their graduations,” Frosst said, hoping that the GoFundMe account will help ease some of the pain. “They are quite embarrassed and quite appreciative of the fundraising, but it is awkward.” Frosst said information about the fundraising campaign for the family would be put on Bruce Power’s global email and also donations would be accepted at the gate. In eight days the Hingston/Helliwell GoFundMe campaign raised $13,655 towards the $25,000 goal.