Fundraiser will see family get tattoos

It’s not that Theresa Laird is against tattoos: it’s just that she never could think of something she would want permanently etched into her skin.  

But if people donate at least $5,000 to her upcoming fundraiser for the Alzheimer Society of York Region (AS York), that will change. That is because if she reaches that goal, Theresa will have one of her dad’s famous one-liners tattooed on her skin, likely where she can see it and hear her once outgoing father’s voice in her head again. 

Randy Cliff, Theresa’s dad, lives with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), a type of dementia that affects personality and behaviour. And for Randy, it took his voice. 

 “It’s how we knew something was wrong,” Theresa said. 

“My dad had a big personality, he was incredibly funny and so full of life. When dad was diagnosed, he became non-verbal pretty quickly…I haven’t heard my dads voice in four years.”  

While Theresa said her dad still can talk, he rarely does and he no longer responds in conversations. 

Theresa said she worried that since she hadn’t “heard his voice in a long time, that I would forget what it sounded like.” 

Thankfully, her dad was known for cracking one-liners, sayings that when people hear them, they automatically think of Randy. 

“When I hear them, I hear his voice,” Theresa said. 

For example, her dad would always say “The older the chicken, the better the soup” or “It’s not easy being this good looking”.  When he would sign off in letters or greeting cards, he always wrote “Who Loves You Baby?”  

It’s that saying that Lori Cliff, Theresa's mom, will likely get tattooed on her skin, in her husband’s handwriting, if people raise $7,500. Much like herself, her mom isn’t a tattoo person, but is participating to raise funds for AS York. 

“We all have to pick a tattoo,” Theresa said. Her younger brother Steven hasn’t decided yet which saying he will choose (Theresa can rhyme off at least 60), but Theresa thinks she will likely go for “If you can’t get out of it, get into it,” a saying her dad often used when she would complain about school or work.  

Theresa said she plans to share information about her fundraiser with family and friends in hopes they will share stories about her dad and remember some of their favourite Randy one-liners.  

She also hopes to raise money for programs and services at AS York. 

“The group in York Region has been unbelievable, especially for my mom in terms of support. They have helped my dad and my family more than they will ever know and have been a rock-solid support when we needed it most.” 

Due to COVID-19, Randy only attends the Aurora DAY program, which provides social and mental stimulation for those living with dementia, Saturdays, and Theresa said he loves going. “He jumps out of the car and is smiling.” 

It was just after Randy’s 60^th birthday, and shortly after he retired from Bell when his family felt something was wrong. He got quiet and just didn’t seem engaged. Theresa said she used to talk to her dad several times a day on the phone about everything, but then when she tried to tell him something important, he would pass the phone off to her mom.

“He just lacked empathy and seemed disinterested, which was not like him at all.”  

The doctor’s diagnosed him with FTD. The family reached out to AS York for support and information, which they didn’t have at the beginning of Randy’s journey. Her dad has gone downhill quickly, Theresa said. He doesn’t talk, but he is “very amicable. He is not angry or frustrated and still seems to enjoy the company of friends and family. He smiles often but mostly when he is around his five grandkids, they get the biggest reactions from him."

The family’s The Best View is Always Seen from a Cliff fundraiser runs throughout November. 

“If we hit $2,500, my brother has agreed to get a tattoo. If we hit $5,000 in funds raised, I will get one and if we can miraculously reach $7,500, my mom will…participate, too. I would encourage anyone (friends or family) to join us and add in their own milestone or marker. November is birthday month in our family and has always been full of celebrations. I hope we can make this November an even bigger party and help support the Alzheimer’s Society (of York Region) and all the hard work they do.” 

The idea, Theresa said, celebrates “my dad and everything that made him such an incredible human being and at the same time help raise awareness and funds for this terrible disease that has stolen him from us.” 

Writer's Note: Congratulations to Theresa Laird for hosting this amazing month-long fundraiser, which raise more than $11,585 to help fund programs and services for York Region residents impacted by dementia. The family - Theresa, her husband, her brother and her mom, will be going to get their tattoos Dec. 12, 2020.