"I lost my house, lost my sight, lost so much," he says. "I'm having a horrendous time making ends meet. I've been cashing in my mutual funds a little at a time."

"I told the people at the CNIB that I'm on disability. I can't afford it," he says. "When I got the price from Ambutech I called them back and said 'What kind of game are you playing?' I said it's criminal to mark it up $50."

"They look almost identical," says Susan Dewalt, the local CNIB's associate director of service. "The difference is the graphite (canes) are lighter and more durable."