Side by Side for ALS Wainwright Ambassador, Jennifer Leggett

Hi, my name is Jennifer Leggett and I am honoured to be the 2026 Side by Side Ambassador for Wainwright, Alberta and to pick up the torch from Jenna Doll, who spearheaded the Wainwright walk for many years, also known as Jenna’s Walk.

My husband and I have been married for 41 years and live in Wainwright. We have a son and daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren here in Wainwright, and another son in Calgary.

After 36 years of working as an administrative assistant and only a few months into retirement, I began experiencing symptoms of weakness in my hands, and then in my legs. I was always giving my husband the gears for tightening container lids too much. I thought I was just getting older and weaker when I had more trouble coming up the stairs. When I finally sought medical help in January 2025, I had a quick trip through the medical system and on April 17, 2025, I got the answer to my questions. ALS. I had ALS, now what?

The weeks after that were a blur. Through it all, with my family and friends by my side, I knew I was well supported. We also saw great community support from Wainwright and the surrounding area and many offers of help. Whether it was food or offers to help move things to allow for our renovations, or even visits to keep life a little bit normal, it was very much appreciated.

It is all so important for a person living with an ALS diagnosis, as the disease is unforgiving and everchanging. Every time we thought we had figured out how to proceed, a change in my condition would make us reload and re-think the way forward. And moving forward is what we need to do.

We have had the help of friends who got us a ramp, by family who helped me access those difficult places, by friends who have kept an eye on how we were doing by phone or text or in person. I am determined to keep moving forwards and increasing my accessibility. Although it can get complicated and things are changing for me, I am determined to fight for my accessibility and independence, through everchanging equipment, or even travelling to our family cabin at a nearby lake.

Last year was our first year of being involved with the ALS Society of Alberta’s major fundraising walks. We were impressed by the support we saw and received in Wainwright last year, and the willingness of people to step up when asked. With Jenna’s passing last year, the ALS Society of Alberta asked me to be the Ambassador for Side By Side for ALS in Wainwright this year, and I readily agreed, knowing its importance to all of us in the ALS community.

Without the help of the ALS Society of Alberta, I would not have been able to stay in our home, even with all of the renovations we did. The equipment they supplied has let me eat, sleep, and live in our house. I went from using a walker in July to using an electric wheelchair and Sit2Stand lift in October. Early in 2026 I began to need a full Hoyer lift, and I am still able to move around and go places with my electric wheelchair, and the ALS Society of Alberta has provided all of this equipment for free. This is why Side by Side for ALS is so important, because the funds raised allow the ALS Society of Alberta to purchase and maintain equipment for their loan program, which allows people like me to improve the way they live with this horrible disease.