Final Regina show for illness-challenged Spirit of the West

"I'm sick as hell, to tell you the truth. But we soldier on."

That's the mindsetSpirit of the West drummerVince Ditrichis inthese days.

He isone of twomembers of hisband hit with a devastating health condition.

In his case, it'sfull kidney failure, which he was diagnosed with in 2013.

Then, last year, frontman John Mann was hit with early onset Alzheimer's disease. The condition that's left him using an iPad-turned-teleprompter when he's playing a show, becausehe no longer remembers lyrics.

Mann also needsaudio cues from his groupmatesto tell him whento come into a chorus or a verse.

"Johnny is now in a position where he can'treliablyrecall lyrics.I think that happens to pretty well every artist with 10 or 20 albums. But it's particularlyacutewith him,"Ditrichsaid while speaking withMorning Editionhost Sheila Coles.

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Ditrich, Mann and the rest of the group are on the band's final tour, which includes a show in Regina Thursday night. Theirfinal gig isin their hometown Vancouver on April 16.

The band is deciding to call it quitsbecause of Mann's andDitrich's health problems.

Music as a safe place

That attitude of soldiering on, of pushing through, seems to have givenDitrich and crew an infectious, positive outlook for themselves and their fans, especially when they'reon stage.

"Music is [Mann's]safeplace. He can still sing, and he gets so much comfort and joy from singing, and it's a very touching thing to see him comfortable when those notes are finally coming out of his mouth,"Ditrichsaid.

He said it's a similar experience for him.

"I didn'texpect this when we found out that John hadAlzheimer's," he said.

"I thought 'Oh my God, he's going to be just tarred with this brush.This spectre will be hanging over him,' you know?"

In fact, fan reaction has been quite the contrary.

"Theaudiencehas come out in droves to show their love and support. It's been very moving and very touching."

How does he measure that up on stage?

"There's just a warmth of response and the look in their eyes. And it's just clearly alot of people who have alot of sympathy for John and have alot of love for the band."

Last show will be a tough one

That last show in Vancouver, will no doubt be a hard, one, he said.

"I'm tryingnotto think about it too much, you know?If Ican hold it together until the end, I'll be pretty pleased with myself," he said.

The drummer said he's looking forward to playing in front of his close friends and loved ones, including people flying in from San Francisco, Halifax and Newfoundland. There's alsoa new grandson born in January.

"It's been a pleasure," Ditrichsaid

"It's arare thing to be able to do what you love the most, and be appreciated for just enjoying yourself. That's a rare pleasure. We're well aware of how fortunate we've been."