Fighting Spirit

     My sister is a strong woman and  I am very proud of the fighting spirit she has.  I love her so much and I hate seeing her this way.  Before Nancy got diagnosed with ALS, she was a very active person.  Her beginning symptoms were trouble swallowing, weakness in her right arm, and talking nasally.  Laura, her, and I would do things together sometimes like eating out, going to the movies, shopping, going on trips, etc.  To see her this way now just seems so surreal to me.  I want you to close your eyes and imagine for just a minute, that one day your whole world changes for you.  You use to be able to walk from your house to your car, walk from your car to the store, then, one day walking got harder.  You started leaning on people to help you walk, next came a walker, and finally, a wheelchair.  Before all of this, you could do anything you wanted just like most people.  How would you feel?  I will tell you how I would feel.  I would be extremely mad!  I am sure I would say, "Why me?"  I might even get mad at God and the whole world.  My sister though has kept a great attitude despite all that she has gone through.  I would say that this is due to her faith in God.  I try not to complain about trivial things that really aren't that important because compared to my sister, I have a good life.  I will continue to share with you what it's like having a family member with ALS, a terrible disease.  It's almost like a thief in the night.  You don't see it coming and it robs you of your independence.

     Thank you for listening.