Suffering from multiple sclerosis: penalized because he insists on continuing to walk

A father, who has suffered from multiple sclerosis for ten years, is fighting the government to have his wife recognized as a caregiver while managing the illness and symptoms as he wishes.

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“I always had just one rule: “my illness, my period”. There is no way to cure me, there is no way to change my situation, I wanted to live it as I hoped and as I wished,” confided Benjamin Girard, father of 47 years. and Témiscamingue.

At the microphone of Benoît Dutrizac at QUB radio, Mr. Girard affirmed that he refused to move around in a wheelchair or walker, and insisted on continuing to walk, despite the pain.

No chair, no credit?

Recognized as disabled by the government, he would not be disabled enough for his partner to benefit from the status of caregiver, as well as the assistance that comes with it.

“It’s she who does everything (…), especially so that my teenagers live a fairly normal life, but because I chose not to slouch in an armchair for the rest of my days, we judges that I am capable of carrying out all daily tasks,” he lamented.

The couple no longer benefits from credits granted by the government, which recently demanded several thousand dollars from them.

“The criteria changed and we learned that I no longer qualified and that I was not sufficiently disabled for my partner to be entitled to the tax credit, and they were therefore asking me for several thousand dollars,” he keeps on.

However, Mr. Girard’s symptoms prevent him from living his life normally.

“I no longer work, I am considered (as) disabled, I have given up my driving license, there is no longer any major task in the house that I am capable of doing, it is my partner who takes care of it of everything, I’m at home, a bit like premature retirement,” he explained.

The family is awaiting a response from the Ministry of Revenue after disputing the amount of money they are asking for, but without much hope of winning their case.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a “chronic autoimmune disease targeting the central nervous system, according to MS Canada. Because this system is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, MS can cause problems with vision, memory, balance and mobility.

Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, with an estimated more than 90,000 people living with the disease.