Some things in life are so harsh, so horrible, that we wouldn’t wish them on our worst enemy. Like certain diseases. ALS is one of them. It is a vicious killer. We must #EndALS once and for all.
ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I remember hearing about it when I was a a little girl. “Oh, Lou Gehrig died of that,” people would say. But I never really understood what it was. All I knew was that he had to stop playing baseball, which he dearly loved, said his public goodbyes in his famous “Luckiest Man On Earth” farewell speech and then he died. He was such a popular sports hero that ALS became known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”
So, let me tell you about Joy. She was the mother of a child in our school. Joy was a vibrant career woman, happy wife and loving mom. During that time she learned that she had ALS.
I do not know how long Joy had known about it but when I found out it appeared to be quickly racing through her body, robbing her of necessary functions, on a very fast track. She went from “healthy” to very sick in just months. Her speech was affected. Her whole life was being attacked and stolen from her.
Soon after I heard that Joy had ALS, she could hardly walk. It looked like invisible weights were holding down her legs. Only a few weeks later, taking the stairs was nearly impossible. She would call me from the parking lot to collect Nicole and her belongings. Then I would see to it that her little girl got safely out of the building and into her mother’s car. It was my pleasure to help and a daily reminder to keep praying for her and her family.
Just before Joy lost all mobility, their family took a trip to Disney World. They showed me the pictures after they got back. Little Nicole was dressed like a princess. They looked so happy. I cannot imagine how hard that trip must have been for Joy but she did it for her little girl. She and her husband wanted a big happy memory for Nicole to hold onto, knowing that soon she would not have her mom.
I left my position at the school so I lost track of them. Perhaps a year later – maybe two – I saw Joy’s obituary in the newspaper and, once again, held that family up in prayer.
For those who are my regular readers, you know that I trust in the power of prayer. I was truly believing for Joy to be healed. God can do it. But He also can end ALS through us.
It is so important that we do everything we can to eradicate this terrible disease. That is why I offered to share Joy’s story and the ALS Therapy Development Institute’s message with you. There is good news – something very hopeful is going on. They have discovered a promising treatment called AT-1501 that could be an answer. AT-1501 may also have application in fighting Alzheimer’s Disease. Wouldn’t that be something! So, will you join the fight?
What you can do to help:
Learn more about ALS>> What is ALS?
Pray that a solution will be found.
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Read Joy's story then help end this killer disease! #WhatWillYouGive #EndALS #health Share on X
Blessings ♥
