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Celebratory send-off for long-serving volunteer

ALS Society of B.C. honours 86-year-old Shirley Cook for her dedication to the society's Surrey Support Group.
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Members of the ALS Society of B.C. gathered at ABC Restaurant in Fleetwood recently to honour Shirley Cook

ALS Society of B.C. members gathered at ABC Restaurant in Newton last week to honour one of the society's longest-serving volunteers – 86-year-old Shirley Cook.

Cook has volunteered as the leader of the society's Surrey Support Group for nearly 20 years, and has been instrumental in ensuring the well-being of patients, family members, friends and caregivers of individuals living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Cook lost her husband to ALS.

ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die and leave voluntary muscles paralyzed. Every day, two to three Canadians die of the disease.

Taking part in last week's celebratory send-off for Cook were Surrey Support Group members, Wendy Toyer, executive director of the ALS Society of B.C., Jamie Jackson, director of patient services, and Iman Ghahremani, volunteer and events support coordinator.

For more information, visit www.alsbc.ca