Are you a donor?

Inside Halton | Michael Howie
Are you a donor?. Keith Childerhose with wife Sarah Taylor.
NORTH OAKVILLE TODAY â€" Oakville’s Keith Childerhose is not a smoker. He played hockey as a kid and, as an adult, continued to rollerblade, ride bikes and stay active. Sixteen years ago, at the age of 25, he noticed he was out of breath more often. He had a cough that wouldn’t go away.

Two years of tests, specialists and misdiagnosed opinions finally led Childerhose to the truth: he had diffuse panbrochiolitis.

The disease is a severe, progressive form of bronchiolitis, most often found in men of Asian decent. That Childerhose, a caucasion, was diagnosed with it made scientific journal headlines.

For the next dozen years, Childerhose, along with his wife Sarah Taylor and their children, was able to live a relatively ‘normal’ lifestyle.

“It was last winter that did him in,” said Sarah. “He went from reasonably health to sick. He was exhausted. We run a handyman business: he was still going out on jobs. But when he’d get to a clients house and go up a flight of stairs he had to rest for 10 minutes. It became evident he had worsened.”

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