This morning, I was browsing through my Google alerts and came across an article featuring Kim Maibaum, an interpreter who is living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the famous baseball player who brought the disease into the public eye.
My heart went out to Kim as I read her story. Kim is an interpreter, someone who spent her life facilitating communication and now faces a struggle to communicate in her daily life. The article can be found here: Living with ALS.
Back when I was a child, I spent a lot of time at my friend Chris' house. Her father, Don, was the epitome of energy, running a business and keeping up a summer home. We spent a lot of time up in Michigan at that very summer home. As the years went on, we grew apart, but stayed in touch. Don became the mayor in my home town and continued to run his business. One day, at the bingo hall, Don mentioned that he was having trouble with the muscles in his hands. Shortly after that, Don was diagnosed with ALS.
We didn't know much about ALS back then, but we saw the effect it had on Don and his family. He stumbled when he walked and began to use a wheelchair. He continued to run the town, moving the village meetings to his home. He continued as mayor as long as he could, until the frustrations of communicating became too much.
The most frustrating part of ALS, Don told my brother, was that his body was failing him, but his mind was as sharp as ever and he was powerless to stop it.
When Don passed away, the line at the funeral home went way past the entrance.
