Columns

Music had been a source of connection and mild contention early in my relationship with my husband, Todd, but it hadn’t been much of either since Todd became paralyzed due to ALS. Our first date was to an Alison Krauss & Union Station concert. Todd was new to Milwaukee…

My husband, Todd, has ALS and is paralyzed, so not only do I cook all the meals, but I also feed him. His meals are often rushed or delayed because I’m running our daughter, Sara, to dance practice or wherever else a busy 16-year-old needs to go. There…

One evening, I took my daily walk in the Nara Nature Park in Houghton, Michigan. As I made my way around a network of wooden boardwalks, through a marsh, and alongside a riverbank and lakeshore, I listened to a symphony of birds. I saw a few couples walking,…

Newly diagnosed ALS patients often contact me and ask what I eat, what I do, and how I’ve managed to continue living with ALS for the past 12 years. I explain that there isn’t a magic solution; it’s a combination of following our doctor’s guidelines and learning how to…

It’s nice to have distractions from the difficulty of life with ALS, so I was in a pretty good mood for the past week because my brothers, sister-in-law, and nieces were visiting from out of town. But one afternoon, they all headed out to a retreat center about 45…

This past week had me experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. I started with a feeling of pride while reading a recent study that validated my at-home voice therapy sessions. Next, curiosity drew me into investigating an innovative exercise program designed for Parkinson’s patients. Then, the week ended on a…

When my 12-year-old son, Isaac, went to mow the grass last week, he noticed that one of the tires had come off the rim. My husband, Todd, purchased the zero-turn lawn mower nine years ago, a few years after his ALS diagnosis, when his arms were too weak to…

Courtesy of Rick Jobus It is with deep sadness that we inform the ALS News Today community of the passing of our friend and treasured columnist, Rick Jobus, on June 19, 2022. Rick published the first installment of his column, “Notes From the ALS Front,”…

Sometimes the simplest things can help us the most. That’s what I learned in the months right after I received a diagnosis of ALS. Like most newly diagnosed ALS patients, I felt overwhelmed trying to find out what ALS was, not really wanting to know, and just wishing…

“What if Todd had aspirated while you were on your spring break trip?” someone asked me. That’s the type of question I’ve asked myself many times over the last decade since my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS. What risks are we willing to take to…