Today's column is a story about overcoming great odds. It's also a love story.

Judy Steele nominated her uncle, Joe (Baby Joe) Wilson as today's Neighbourhood Hero. Baby Joe's father, (Papa) Joe Wilson, is a former Canadian welterweight champion and a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Joe, Baby Joe that is, was always a great talker and the life of the party but then in 1996, he had a stroke that slowed him down ... but only a little. Two years later, he had a second major stroke that severely affected his left side and made his speech slow and difficult to understand. That's when his daughter took him to her home in Alert Bay to care for him.

During her mid to late teens, Marion had fallen madly in love with Baby Joe, and he with her, but somehow they drifted apart, married other people, had families and forty years passed. During those years Marion had always kept in touch with Baby Joe's brother who told her about the first stroke and then the second serious one.

Joe and Marion began communicating by email and, before long; Marion and her granddaughter drove from her home in Seattle to Alert Bay for a two-week vacation. A month-long vacation followed and soon the two of them moved to Nanaimo where Joe could get better therapy. They married in May of 2000.

When I visited to take a quick photo, the house was filled with so much love and laughter; I stayed for almost two hours. Judy and her husband Ted were there too.

But let me tell you about the overcoming part of this story.

Joe's motto is, "If you can't do it, you haven't tried hard enough." He also reminded us that he comes from a long line of fighters.

While he was recovering at his daughter's home, twice a day he dragged his weakened left side up and down fifty steps for the exercise and three years ago, when he arrived in Nanaimo, as well as taking therapy, he build himself an exercise bench in his basement in an effort to strengthen his left arm.

That exercise somehow led to an interest in golf so he build a practice driving range in the basement and soon he was playing on the Beban Park par three course two or three times a week - Now it's every day.

He gets around the course on his scooter, struggles out to his feet and drives and putts with his good right arm. Not long ago he shot a hole in one.

During the last three years he also decided he wanted to write a book about his life and family. Typing with just one finger, often in the middle of the night, he finished that book and wrote another about his experiences as a logger.

How many people do you know who have thought about doing something similar but never got around to it even with ten good fingers?

It has been an inspirational struggle and it ain't over yet. Given his unbelievable sense of humour, determined attitude and his life-long commitment to helping others as well as himself, there's no telling what he will achieve next.

"Uncle Joe saved my puberty," Judy laughed. "My dad couldn't afford to pay to get my front tooth fixed after I lost it in a bike accident when I was thirteen so Uncle Joe sent me $100 with a note saying, 'This will keep the flies from flying in and out'."

That kind of humour and generosity seems to run in his family.

Finally as I was walking to my car, Judy said, "I think Uncle Joe is the happiest he's ever been now that he has his Marion again."

I told you this was a love story.