Brian Parsons, dying ALS patient and advocate, to have Kanata park in his name

An Ottawa man who has advocated for the rights of terminally ill patients and their families as he battles ALS will have a park named after him.

Brian Parsons, 49, was diagnosed with ALS — also called Lou Gehrig's Disease — in the spring of 2013.

Since then, he has successfully fought to help families that face an economic struggle while caring for loved ones with a terminal illness.

In the last federal budget, the Conservative government included a promise to extend compassionate care benefits from six weeks to six months under the Employment Insurance folio.

This means as of January 2016, people who take time off work to care for a terminally ill family member can receive employment insurance for up to six months.

"Compassionate care benefits were such a win for Brian," said Parsons's wife, Susan, "And then to get a park named after him. It just says your life is worth something."

Neighbours petitioned for park renaming

To honour that tireless work, neighbours put together a petition to have a park near Parsons's home re-named, calling his efforts "frankly heroic."

Black Tern Park, located in south Kanata on Black Tern Crescent, holds special meaning for the Parsons family.

It is where Brian told his wife about his ALS diagnosis and where the couple's children grew up playing.

Last week, city council voted unanimously to rename that park, "Brian Parsons Park."

"I was stunned and got quite emotional," Parsons said through the computerized voice of a smartphone app.

"It was such a graceful compliment, but my first reaction was I didn't deserve such a distinction."

Parsons has lost his ability to speak, and he's losing the ability to breathe. Over the past two years, though, he has continued to have a voice despite the physical limitations.

"ALS requires you to step up your game, and I wasn't going down without taking a few swings," Parsons said.

You can hear more from Parsons, his wife Susan and their neighbours in the video above.

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