Ray Kittle

Ray Kittle was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia on May 31, 2001 but kept it a secret from everyone except his wife, Bet, for the next three years. He didn't want people to worry.

This past summer his chemo had to be increased and he started losing his hair, so the time had come to let his friends and family know about his situation. Soon after he started an email list to keep them informed.

The following is one of his early emails.

"...It's almost two weeks after Round 2 of CHOP (the kind of chemo Ray is taking) and I feel like a million bucks.

"There's good medical news to go with that as well. After the first round my white blood cell count had been cut in half and my LDH levels had dropped from 1200 to 900. Things are looking positive, I feel like I'm not taking anything at all, and I'm happy with life in general.

"I also haven't missed a beat at work. In fact, I don't remember the last time I enjoyed being there so much. It's great therapy and the level of support has been absolutely overwhelming, as you will see if you keep reading.

"The one thing that was on my mind this week was hair loss, which started last week and had progressed by Monday to the point where it was getting obvious. It's not so much that I was bothered by losing my hair - it was the thought of going into work and facing everybody the first time with a shaved head.

"I happened to mention this to one of my friends in the company and he suggested that I shave my head at work (Ray works at Harmac).

"I thought this was a good idea and brought the hair clippers in the next day. The plan was to wait until coffee time, have one of the guys give me a Mohawk first, take some pictures and then shave the rest off.

"What I didn't know was what was taking place in the background. First of all, they planned it to be a party. There was smoked salmon and pecan pie and we turned it into one giant laugh fest.

"Then just about the whole office announced that they would be shaving their heads with me in support. It started with four of the managers shaving their heads (Gord Smoker, Ed Forcier, Mark Pauling, Rick Shewchuk).

"Later, one of the union executive members (Joe Grimes) came in and asked to have his head shaved. Then one of my good friends who recently retired from the mill (Len Alyward) came in with a shaved head. The next day two more people came to work with their heads shaved as well (Joe Grimes and George Calihoo).

"You can't imagine how this made me feel -- and my wife, Bet, too.

"I feel like I have the world's greatest guys to work with. From top to bottom the entire organization of over 600 employees has been there for me every step of the way. I'm a lucky man and it's totally uplifting to have that level of support to help get through the inevitable down times.

"I'm now getting used to being a "chrome dome". As Bet says I have a 'lovely round head with no lumps'. Somehow the remaining cycles of chemo and the ensuing difficult period of sub-Q Campath don't feel so daunting anymore. (Sub-Q Campath is an antibody that will be injected three times a week once he's done the four to eight rounds of CHOP chemo"

I'd say Ray's message is loud and clear -- This world is full of Neighbourhood Heroes.

To read any of our past columns or to nominate a Neighbourhood Hero go to www.nhero.org.