Toronto Maple Leafs player Auston Matthews meets with members of the Ruckstuhl family on Nov. 5, 2019. From left to right: Ryan Ruckstuhl, Auston Matthews, Ron Ruckstuhl and Josh Ruckstuhl. (Photo submitted)
A Saint Andrews, N.B., man battling a terminal disease has fulfilled a dream he has had for 52 years.
Lifelong Maple Leafs fan Ron Ruckstuhl recently had the chance to watch his team play in Toronto.
“It was like a dream come true,” said Ruckstuhl, 52, during a recent phone interview from his home.
Ruckstuhl was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia three years ago. He was given five to seven years to live.
His son and primary caregiver, Josh, wanted to find a way to give his father a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
In August, he sent a tweet to former NHLer Paul Bissonnette to see if he could help.
“About a month later, I heard back and he’s like, ‘listen, I’ve been talking to the NHL and we want to make this happen for you, so when works best? How can I get a hold of you?'” said Josh.
“Giving Paul Bissonnette my cell phone number, I was like, ‘whoa, this can’t be real.'”
Bissonnette travelled to the Ruckstuhl’s home on Nov. 4 to surprise Ron with the great news on behalf of the NHL.
“I was shocked, for sure,” said Ron about seeing Bissonnette sitting in his living room. “I had no clue on what was going on.”
Ron Ruckstuhl, centre, and his two sons watch the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 5, 2019. (Photo submitted)
The next day, Ron and his two sons, Josh and Ryan, were in Toronto to watch the Maple Leafs face the Los Angeles Kings.
Josh said it was truly amazing to watch his dad get to have this experience.
“For the 24 hours that we were able to do the surprise until while we were in Toronto, it was like he wasn’t sick,” said Josh. “For a brief moment in time, we got to forget about the illness and just enjoy that moment.”
Lewy body dementia occurs because of abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein inside the brain’s nerve cells. A person with Lewy body dementia may have symptoms much like those of both Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
“You can’t treat one without it upsetting the other, it becomes unmanageable,” said Ron. “They give you medicine for Parkinson’s, your Alzheimer’s will go through the roof and you’ll start having hallucinations and stuff like that. It’s not a very fun time.”
The Ruckstuhl family has created a non-profit organization called Dandelions of Hope to help bring awareness and research to the disease.
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