Columns

Last January, my sister-in-law asked what our plans were for my daughter Sara’s high school graduation. She wondered if she, my mother-in-law, and my husband’s siblings should plan to come for the commencement ceremony or a graduation party some other weekend. My husband Todd’s breathing is so compromised due to…

As ALS Awareness Month comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, and perhaps more importantly, to find ways to both sustain and build upon our momentum as we search and fight for cures. For the past month, members of the ALS…

“Why are you bouncing?” my daughter asked me the other day as I prepared the medications and supplements that I give my husband, who has ALS, through his feeding tube. “It’s good for mental health,” I said. I’m always on the lookout for strategies to cope with the…

From the moment I wake up to when I finish breakfast, I do things in the same order as I’ve been doing them for the past 10 years. That’s because my secret dream is to be calm, relaxed, and easygoing each day. But the steady flood of life’s curveballs,…

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…

Nature calms me and nourishes my soul amid the challenges of giving care to my husband, Todd, who has ALS. A few days ago, I walked down our country road, listening to singing birds and taking in spring’s beauty. I admired signs of new life — budding green leaves…

An old adage says, “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” Well, I’m in that future now, so today, I’m sending my past self a basket full of thanks. Why? Because every time I walk into our bathroom, I’m grateful. And I believe the modifications my…

My son joined middle school track this year, and after a few days of practice, my husband, Todd, asked how it was going. “I’m not a long-distance runner,” he said. “I don’t know how to pace myself.” “I was no good for any distance, either,” Todd said. “I ran…

Like many others, I completed the Ice Bucket Challenge when it became a cultural phenomenon in 2014. Created by Anthony Senerchia, Pat Quinn, and Pete Frates, who were living with ALS and have since died from the disease, the challenge involved being doused with a…

As a caregiver for my husband, Todd, who has ALS, I’ve experienced numerous traumas in the 14 years that we’ve been living with the disease. Our lives were shattered with Todd’s diagnosis, which occurred when our daughter was 4 and our son was 9 months old. I…