Christmas background: widowed father of seven lives a life of chronic pain

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Alain has had serious health problems since 2015. He suffers from chronic pain, vascular necrosis in the hips, spinal problems, vision problems, and a host of other ailments.

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The pain has been so severe that he was forced to retire early from his teaching job. Not even morphine has been effective. He has been prescribed numerous medications, but he still suffers from constant pain and fatigue. Your doctors suspect that you might have multiple sclerosis.

Alain is in his 60s and I didn’t expect life to be like this. He says he would have continued working until retirement age, but his health wouldn’t allow it.

“Recently, I have been to the hospital for appointments about four or five times a month,” Alain said. “Doctors have become my best friends, because I see them all the time.”

He has seven children, but they are a bit older and becoming more self-sufficient. Some are still in school, completing their college degrees or CEGEP. He has been raising the children himself since his wife died.

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“It’s difficult,” said Alain. He said that even basic housework, like washing dishes, is a challenge. Last year, the holidays were lonely. This year, you will at least be able to house some family members, if the collection rules allow, because you can no longer move much and you cannot go to other houses.

At Alain’s age, he hoped he would be active enough to keep up with his children. Instead, he says he feels like a shadow of his old self while waiting for a diagnosis.

“I’m not the same person anymore,” Alain said. “And the thing is, it keeps getting worse.”

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