How fixing an old snowmobile brought family memories full circle
My husband had just been diagnosed when he took our son on his first ride
My husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS in June 2010. That winter, Todd and I, along with our 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, visited my parents in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. My dad had plowed snow into high banks, and on one large pile next to the house, he had sculpted a sledding hill down one side for the kids.
“I had the snowmobile tuned up,” he told Todd. “Come out with me and I’ll drag it out with the truck.”
It was a relatively warm and sunny winter day, so he suggested that maybe our daughter would want to go for a ride.
Having grown up in northern Minnesota, Todd was excited to relive childhood memories, so he took the 1992 Ski-Doo for a spin. As I was getting our son bundled up, Todd gave our daughter a ride around the field. As they were coming back, I stepped out of the house with our son to go sledding down the snow pile. Our son was yelling excitedly, pointing at the snowmobile.
Todd parked the snowmobile at the base of the sledding hill, our daughter jumped off, and I placed our son in front of him. Todd took him for a ride around the house and then stopped, thinking he might’ve had enough of the wind in his face. But our son demanded more. Todd took him for a ride around the field. Again, he wanted more. So Todd drove him around for an hour and a half before he’d finally had enough.
Kristin Neva’s husband, Todd, takes their son on his first snowmobile ride on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, in the winter of 2010. (Courtesy of Kristin Neva)
Todd took the snowmobile out by himself again, driving across the field to the location where we’d eventually build our accessible home. Back near my parents’ house, he rode up a plowed snow mound and gently rolled down the other side. He took a couple more spins around the field, going faster and faster.
He zoomed to the top of the snow pile from the other direction, paused at the top, and gave the snowmobile gas to roll down the other side. This time, its skis got stuck on the descent, and the momentum of his body carried him over the handlebars. He buried his face in the wet snow, and his legs continued over his body as his neck bent back, and then his head popped out.
He lay there for a minute dazed before moving gingerly. His neck wasn’t broken. He knew paralysis was coming with his ALS anyway, but he was glad he still had time.
No one drove the snowmobile in the years that followed. We moved to the Upper Peninsula a couple years later, but by that time, the ALS had progressed past the point of Todd being able to ride it. My dad died four years after that and, in the meantime, the snowmobile just sat in my mom’s yard.
Our son was able to get it running again just this year, and after our first snowfall he took it across the field. Then the belt broke. Todd had our son take a picture of the part number on one of the fragments, and I picked up a replacement belt. Our son put the belt on, but then he couldn’t get it started again. He eventually figured out that the ignition coil wires were rotted.
While the snowmobile was stuck in the field, we got hit with a blizzard, and it got buried in a foot of snow. Todd strategized on how to pull it back to the house for repair. He suggested I buy 200 feet of sturdy rope and use my Ford Edge to pull it out. We were able to tow it home, and now Todd is working with our son to get it tuned up again.
Our son still likes to be out in the snow for hours, and he’s glad that he’s big enough now to handle the heavy, old machine.
As hard as daily life with ALS is for both Todd and me, we’re glad Todd is still here and able to pass on his knowledge to our son. We never imagined that would be the case that first winter after his diagnosis.
Towing the snowmobile back home for repairs. (Photos by Kristin Neva)
Note: ALS News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of ALS News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to ALS.
About the Author
Leave a comment
Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published.