[Swift1]

I hope this is okay to post here.

As someone living with ALS, I've been blessed with lots of support. As the disease progresses, you require more and more support until finally you need 24 hour caregiving and support. I live my life nowadays with the help and support of others. Every meal I eat is fed to me, every morning I am dressed by one of my amazing caregivers and every night I am undressed and put to bed by a caregiver. Every photo I make is made with the generous help of others.
The ALS Association has been a big source of help for me and my family. When I was diagnosed, they have helped us prepare for what we were facing. They helped me get my powerchair, without which I would have almost no freedom whatsoever. They paid for me and my family to travel to Washington D.C. to advocate for more funding, more research, better Medicare coverage, and more hope for people living with ALS. They are now providing much needed help with caregiving by covering the costs of having a professional caregiver come to my house two days a week to help me and my family.
You can help right now by donating to Team SwiftSure in this year's Walk To Defeat ALS. Or you can join our team (you don't need to live here to join) and you can reach out to your friends, family, colleagues, etc. and help raise money to help people living with ALS.
Please donate, join, walk, share this link, do whatever you can to help.
And to everyone who has helped and donated, Thank You!!!

---

Last edited by photolady95; 08-05-2015 at 05:23 PM. Reason: Link removed to comply with forum rules

[Transit]

I'm sure it is OK to post your message here
for anyone else like me who has no idea what 'ALS' is, I copied below from your link

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease)
is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

[csa]

Bless you for your courage in coping with this insidious disease.

Your post hopefully will make others aware of what you and others are going thru daily, and donate what they can.

[Swift1]

I'm sure it is OK to post your message here
for anyone else like me who has no idea what 'ALS' is, I copied below from your link

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease)
is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

Thank you.
I suppose I should elaborate a bit more.
ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a motor neuron degenerative disorder that basically kills your muscles. You lose your ability to walk, talk, use your hands, and eventually to breath. The average lifespan of someone living with ALS is 2-5 years after diagnosis.
I'm lucky in that I have a slower progression, and have been living with ALS for 7+ years now.
It is terribly difficult to live with ALS, and is very hard on families because of the amount of support required. I pretty much live in a wheelchair, and my condition worsens every day.
Here's a photo of myself taken last year.


---------- Post added 08-05-2015 at 04:20 PM ----------

Make a donation of $25 or more to my Walk To Defeat ALS page, and you will receive a 6x9 print of this photograph free of charge!