Help support the Grant Family in their time of loss

Dear friends, family, and community,

Our hearts are heavy as we watch Glenn Grant’s life come to a close at the age of 60.

Glenn was diagnosed with Bular onset ALS 27 months ago.

He was initially misdiagnosed as having had a stroke six months prior when he was going through the drive through trying to order a lettuce wrapped burger for his wife, Willy, and couldn’t say the word “lettuce”. When symptoms started to worsen and he thought he had had a second stroke, Glenn went to see his doctor who then remarked, “I don’t think you’ve had a stroke and it’s quite possible that you didn’t have a stroke six months ago.” After many tests to rule everything else out, Glenn was diagnosed with ALS. Glenn and Willy didn’t know a whole lot about ALS at that time, but they dove in headfirst quickly learning that there is no cure for ALS.

Knowing there was no cure, Glenn made a conscious decision to try and leave ALS a little better off by volunteering to be part of several drug studies so that possible future generations of ALS patients might have better treatments available.

As a community, we have been a witness to Glenn and Willy navigating this terrible path together with strength and grace. We have also seen their love for one another, right up until the end, which is Tuesday, November 19. Together, they chose to make their ALS journey very public so that they could bring awareness to ALS. Along the way, we have all gotten to know a bit more about them and their story.

Glenn grew up in Montreal and became part of the punk music scene in his late teens when he started promoting punk gigs around Montreal and then later Toronto. His first gig was, working with Henry Rollins and Black Flag when they came to Montreal in the early ‘80s. From there his production company, grew to include both touring with bands across the world and booking local shows across North America, working with bands like Husker Du, the Asexuals, Sonic Youth, plus many more.

Glenn and Willy met 27 years ago at a concert in Vancouver and have been each other’s Ride or Die ever since. They moved to Edmonton and called Alberta home in 2004.

During Glenn’s battle with ALS, he had a positive attitude, and we all saw him tick off things on his ALS Bucket List between eating his way through Edmonton restaurants from a list created by the local social media community, going to comedy shows, attending concerts, and seeing his beloved Montreal Canadiens play against the Edmonton Oilers one last time. We all saw Glenn living his best life with what little time he had left. It takes tremendous strength to charge forward in the face of a terminal diagnosis.

ALS is often called the bankruptcy disease. It is a financial burden, with most families averaging $150,000 to $250,000 in costs during the patient’s battle with ALS. Although they have had excellent support here in Alberta from the ALS Society, Willy and Glenn have been no exception between necessary house renovations to accommodate Glenn's needs, equipment that wasn’t covered, medication not covered by insurance, and final planning expenses.

As a community, we would like to help them through this tough time and ensure things like funeral expenses and outstanding bills are paid. Every contribution, no matter how small, is deeply appreciated. Let’s all come together and show them that they are not alone.

Thank you.