Hello, my book loving friends!
I raise funds every year for the ALS Association (ALSA), and this is my annual appeal for donations.
ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurological degenerative disease that affects a person’s ability to control their muscles because it destroys the motor neurons that connect the brain to those muscles. An ALS patient loses the ability to walk, use their hands, raise their arms, eat, speak, and even breathe on their own. Continue reading
Hello everyone! This is my annual request for donations to the ALS Association.
For new blog readers, I was diagnosed with ALS 13 years ago. It’s a disease that kills the motor neurons, which means the brain can’t communicate with the muscles that perform voluntary movement, including speaking, swallowing, and breathing. Ten and a half years ago, when my diaphragm muscles gave out, I went on a ventilator. Continue reading
I remember such random facts about my ALS diagnosis. I asked to listen to 80s music during my MRI and was sentenced to listening to a medley of Madonna tunes. The neurologist’s receptionist called the local clinic to schedule a second opinion for my “AL5” diagnosis (apparently, she wasn’t familiar with ALS, either). I ran into a fellow school mom in the lobby on my way out – could she see the devastation on my face? I spent the first night imagining the best way to kill myself – I was going to die, anyway, I thought, might as well take control of the process and timing. (Fortunately, I rebounded from that.)
I was 45 at the time, physically active and otherwise healthy. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 