Articles

Most people don’t know what to say to someone who comes down with a deadly disease. Simple is better.

If you don’t know what to say, or, if you’re afraid you might say the wrong thing, try this:

How are you doing?

That’s a good start.

When friends or family ask “How are you doing?” I answer as simply as possible.

I ain’t dead  …   Read More  »

Life is made of many components. Air. Water. Food. Those are the basics. After that we run into a long and growing list of wants and needs.

What do you want in life? What do you need in life?

They are not the same, but they do vary with each of us. For someone rich, an expensive car or large house or plenty of money might be considered needs.  …   Read More  »

I love baseball. My kids loved basketball. My grandkids love soccer. Last year I bought a few of the older grandkids baseball gloves and baseballs so I could teach them the fundamentals of pitch and catch.

I bought a glove, too. And extra baseballs. Kids be kids. The last baseball glove I bought was in high school.

We played pitch and catch  …   Read More  »

We live busy lives. Even retirement can be busy. What we don’t do as often as we should is to reflect on our lives; past, present, and future. Future? Of course. Our past and our present often dictate our future.

While thinking about those three can you think about what matters most to you in your life?

Family? Job? Career? Wife? Children?  …   Read More  »

Life is interesting for almost everyone. There are times when we rejoice in the love of friends, family, food, work, and the beauty around us on planet earth. Yes, there are times when we hate life.

If you’ve ever had a bad case of the flu then you understand the sentiment.

Not every aspect of life brings pleasure. ALS is a neuromuscular  …   Read More  »

Our trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN included an overnight sleep study. Basically, doctors want to assess how you breathe while asleep. So, instead of the hotel bed, I got to spend a night at Mayo Clinic in a special room with ventilators and masks and various and sundry wires connected to my body.

The first step was a mask fitting.  …   Read More  »

ALS weakens muscles. Not all muscles at once and affected muscles vary from person to person. 30 months after the first visible symptoms appeared, I now have weakness in hands and arms. That means shaving and cutting my hair are becoming difficult.

Prior to ALS, my grooming routine was simple. Lather and shave my face. Use hair cutting clippers  …   Read More  »

What scares you? A sudden, loud noise? A credit card bill? Someone honking their horn behind you in traffic? Your mother-in-law? All of the above?

I scared myself today.

ALS causes muscle weakness to the point of atrophy but also causes massive weight loss and muscle wasting. I have not been able to see myself in the bathroom mirror for  …   Read More  »

The end is near. I feel it. I cannot gauge exactly when, and certainly not the day, but all the signs point to diminished physical capabilities on all fronts, especially breathing. Hands and arms have weakened and become stiff. Legs are stiff and slow. Speech requires much more effort. I have to be careful when eating and swallowing.

Respiratory  …   Read More  »

As rare as ALS is, most people seem to know that it is an incurable disease that leads to death. When word gets out that a person has ALS it seems that two things happen.

First, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and family members disappear. Not all of them, of course. A few make contact quickly after receiving the news.

Second, those that  …   Read More  »

Blue is not my favorite color. I’ve had blue toes, blue lips, blue disposition, but I like to be blue.

Blue is the color of my heart rate when it dips below 60 beats per minute as recorded by my Watch. Yes. Today’s crop of smartwatches can do such things. Mine uses an application called   …   Read More  »