Page 25 - 2021 Winter CMTA Report

Widower Continues to Raise Funds

in Wife’s Name

BY MIKE DRIEDGER
Rick Clement with
ook for the helpers,” some of his pens
Mr. Rogers said. Rick
“L Clemente is one of them.
While he doesn’t have CMT
himself, he raises money and
awareness of the disease to
honor his late wife Celia.
Rick has a rather unique
approach to both. The retired
physical therapist and human
anatomy teacher is a skilled
amateur woodworker who got
his start making pens, letter
openers and utensils to make
Celia’s life with CMT a little
easier. She suggested that
woodworking might be a nice
retirement hobby and asked him
to make pens and letter openers
for every member of their family.
After a couple of classes, he put
a lathe in their garage and soon
had it outfitted as a full-fledged
workshop.
Celia died of cancer more
than three years ago, but he still
makes the pens and whenever
anybody asks about them, he
uses the opening to talk about
CMT. He also offers to sell the
pens. The cost? A donation to local neurologist suggested struck by the fact that branch
the CMTA. genetic testing was she finally members looked just like her
Rick is committed to the diagnosed. with their braces, wheelchairs
organization because of the Rick says the most impor- and difficulty holding pens. The
support and friend- tant thing in this story meeting had a profound impact
After Rick’s wife
ship that members of is the help the branch on Celia, he says, and afterward,
the Pittsburgh Branch attended her gave his wife, who “She became herself again.”
showed Celia. Her first branch taught the deaf. By the Rick’s woodworking has
diagnosis was a long meeting, time Celia attended slowed a bit due to arthritis in
time coming. She had “She became her first branch meet- his hands. But he continues to
no family history of herself again.” ing, she was at wit’s attend branch walks with various
CMT and was erro- end, he recounts. “The family members and proudly
neously diagnosed with a people there could not have been wears his walk T-shirts. Like his
number of other illnesses, more welcoming,” he says, pens, they provide an opening
including ALS. Visits to the adding, “She found friends and for him to talk about CMT. And
Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo companions who let her know because he is a helper, that’s just
Clinic were fruitless. Not until a she wasn’t crazy.” Celia was what he does. k

WINTER 2021 THE CMTA REPORT 25