Ed

Ed's Story

Recounted by Ed and written up by Carol Ann Cole

When Ed walked toward me for our first introduction a song immediately came to mind.  An old song by Jimmy Dean that starts off something like, “Every mornin’ at the mine you could see him arrive. He stood 6 ft 6 and weighed 245 – kind of broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip, and everybody knew. . . .”  Ed’s black Harley Davidson cap made him look even stronger as he sat down beside me in one of the second floor rooms of the Good Neighbours’ Club on Jarvis Street.  As we spoke I realized how gentle, how caring and in the moment how desperate this young man was.  Trying his hardest to not be strangled by red tape is not easy when you don’t have a penny in your pocket, a meal ticket for lunch or a bed for tonight. GNC is perhaps Ed’s only friend at the moment.

Having just arrived back in Toronto Ed shared some of his history.  Of Lithuanian dissent Ed was born in Toronto almost 50 years ago ( he can’t really become a full GNC member until his 50^th birthday but good people work at the Club and he has been welcomed with open arms. His birthday is just around the corner so – close enough.)  The Bloor West village area was home to Ed growing up. Today he has no living family or relatives in North America. The Club is his family.

Having travelled the world (literally) Ed has a resume to be proud of with many successes to his credit. He joined the Military at the tender age of seventeen and worked in the Signal Corps – Communications Command.  He served with the Special Service Forces where much of his work was classified.  He worked all over Canada and in Germany before being promoted to Sergeant.  That meant a desk job – and many interesting assignments.   Selected for the Intelligence Branch, Ed worked in the G2 offices and was responsible for the debriefing of the Forces Chief of Staff.  Ed left the military in 1994 - a decorated soldier who received the  Chief of Defence Staff Commendation for Bravery, Special Services Medal and a soldier who has shared a glass of port with Queen Elizabeth, Price Phillip and the Queen Mother, circa 1984 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.  He has been part of the security team for Princess Anne and the Pope. Ed continues to keep in touch with his Military contacts and cherishes his memories from his Military career.

Choosing a totally different second career Ed went to college and obtained his certificate to drive heavy equipment and to work on any and all major construction sites. He could literally show up at a job site, prove his credentials and be hired on the spot –loving every second of the hard work and the opportunity to work outside.  Ed took time to explain the huge difference between being able to drive a bobcat and being able to actually make it work – point taken.

Ed’s last big job was on the construction team that built the Athletes Village for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver BC.  Working in False Creek, overlooking downtown was a good place to be.  The job lasted for over a year, the money was good and Ed was happy albeit he was beginning to be concerned about his health.

When the Olympics job finished Ed moved on to Edmonton and was able to find temporary work in the construction field.  Finding a job was not difficult but his priority was finding a good doctor.  Ed was diagnosed with fibromatosis and was referred to a rheumatologist. The waiting list to see a rheumatologist was a long one in Edmonton.  Ed heard the wait would be shorter in Ontario - he began to make his way east.

Fobromatosis is not an easy travel companion. This is a foot and ankle disorder specifically displaying tumours on the feet and ankles.  It is painful and must be treated.  In particular Ed has pressure-related pain with weight bearing.  Simply walking is painful. He showed me a nodule evident deep in the palm of his hand – it is spreading and he needs help. He may need surgery but for now he has only a cane.

Ed hitchhiked from Edmonton to Toronto - a long hike.   He made it to Sudbury where the police helped him find shelter. By this time he was cold, hungry and desperate for medical help. He was also desperate for money but did not want to go on welfare. In fact, Ed did not need to go on welfare and though he was encouraged to apply for welfare in Sudbury so they could help him out he would not take that road. He had the hours to collect EI and had the papers from Services Canada. “We are working on your case. A decision will be made soon.”

When Ed arrived in Toronto he saw a man he had met some thirteen years earlier.  Back then Ed was hiring workers for a construction project in Mississauga and had been able to give this man work. They met almost on the same corner – as if was meant to be – and his friend from yesteryear told him about GNC.

GNC staff has helped Ed make contact with the EI offices at Pape and Gerrard.  As luck would have it, he forgot his SIN card there and doesn’t have transit fare to go back to retrieve it.  Things that seem so small to most of us are huge when you feel that you are fighting the system with no money to your name.  Ed showed the EI employee his letter. “We are working on your case. A decision will be made soon.”  It makes you want to force someone to define the word “soon.”  They agree – a decision will be made soon. How often can you hear those words and continue to believe them? 

A new birth certificate has been ordered, and a Social Worker with GNC is helping Ed with the road blocks that seem to be set up in front of this decorated soldier. .  Ed’s last name, Lukosius, rhymes with ferocious which is what he has to be as he wades through the red tape.

As we were finishing our first discussion, a fellow Club member interrupted to ask if Ed wanted a foot long ham and cheese sub on whole wheat. Jerry Adams told us of a Toronto good-guy who drives the same street at the same time each week in his yellow hummer and gives out food and clothing to those in need. Imagine paying it forward from your hummer – I like it!  And, Ed has lunch for another day.

Ed is on a mission and when we met again exactly one week later things were happening, albeit not fast enough.  He might be entitled to help through Veterans Affairs – possibly even housing.  (Ed is wearing his Desert Storm hat today.)  At the moment the weather is good and sleeping outside is almost bearable – not so much with bad health. He needs a place to call home. In addition to fobromatosis Ed’s blood pressure was 200 over 150 recently when he saw a doctor. He has been referred to a specialist so there are some good things happening. Ed has only good things to say about GNC – the Club is helping him wade through the red tape.

While he is waiting Ed tries to think of more positive times – like the day back in 1983 when he got to jam with Carlos Santana in St Petersburg Florida.  Santana unexpectedly took the stage at a concert and ask if anyone could play the keyboard. Ed experienced the joy of playing three songs with the legend.  He thinks about the simple pleasures in life like when he was a Professional Fishing Guide in the Northwest Territories – and proudly shows the labelling on his clean green shirt – Plummer’s Arctic Lodge –NWT. Maybe he wasn’t sure I would believe him so he offered the proof on his shirt – I believe him.

To be a Mensa member you need an IQ of 101.  For now, this Mensa member with an IQ of 149 sleeps outside and waits for his life to take a turn for the better – even a short turn would be welcome at this point.