OutSpoken - a Column by James Clingman

I’ve previously written about sleeping and described how bedtime is one of my most anticipated periods of the day. In this column, I’d like to go a little deeper and get some feedback from other ALS patients. Do you remember the Julia Roberts movie “Sleeping with…

ALS patient Brian Wallach and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya, have made a significant and positive impact on the ALS community via their heart-wrenching 2022 documentary, “For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign.” In case you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t share much about the content. Suffice…

“Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” — Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”  In an earlier column, I noted that there was no handbook to show me how to deal with ALS. Looking back, I admit that…

As I read my daily emails and text messages, I think of my condition and what ALS Awareness Month means to me. How does it make me feel? What can I do to enhance the effects of this special month? Like the Ice Bucket Challenge, what is its…

Among the various problems of life that families experience is the occasional exclusion of children from conversations. I remember hearing the older members of our family saying, “This is grown-folks’ business.” They’d tell us children to go outside and play. Depending on the age of a child, that might…

ALS was first identified in 1869, though its symptoms were documented in medical literature as early as 1824. It’s intriguing that the sequence of the disease today is often similar, with initial symptoms followed by an actual diagnosis. It took four years to receive my…

While living with ALS, I have days when I’m low in spirit and need something to lift me out of the doldrums. When this happens, two things help me: a visit from my daughter and some great music. Recently, I got both at the same time. What a…

On Feb. 17, a party was thrown in Atlanta, Georgia, in celebration of ALS patients and their caregivers. It was a chance to promote awareness about the ongoing needs of the victims of this treacherous and unrelenting disease. A party for ALS? Why not? Like the Ice…

After a great deal of introspection, I decided for this month’s column to reflect on my life as it stands now. I wanted to write about it without being too ominous and dreadful, but I don’t think that’s possible. My love for music prompted the headline, because within the…

Accidents can and will happen. Do you have a plan for when they do? The two accidents I’ve feared the most since being debilitated with ALS are getting scalded in the shower and smashing my toes against the wall or any other object when I’m in my wheelchair. I…