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If
you would like to contribute to the Run for ALS Team
click
here |
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| In May 2000, I was invited to speak to a
group of high school sophomores attending a HOBY conference (Hugh
O'Brian Youth Leadership). I started my speech with a definition
for ALS which follows: |
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Good evening students and mentor's.
I'd like to thank you for inviting me to speak at this event
tonight. I would also
like to thank my wife, Hillary, without whom I could not get through
a day. For the past
three years, I have been fighting a disease, which in all
likelihood, will take my life.
The disease is called ALS or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
In medical textbooks, ALS is defined as a fatal neuromuscular
disease that eventually leads to paralysis. ALS occurs when motor
nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord degenerate. The loss of
these motor neurons causes the muscles under their control to weaken
and waste away. The
mind is usually left intact.
These
definitions state cold, hard facts, but there's so much more as far
as life is concerned. How
does one deal with becoming dependent on others for life's daily
activities? The simple
acts of eating and bathing, impossible to do without help. What will
it be like to no longer be able to say I love you? The muscles of speech too weak to function. To have the
physical activities that you love so much, slowly stripped away?
No more putting on a pair of running shoes and going for
relaxing run.
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| There is a wealth of ALS information on
the internet. Start exploring the links below. |
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