A dozen years ago my family had little knowledge of ALS or as it’s more commonly known, Lou Gehrig’s disease. However this soon changed.
My father’s lung was removed due to cancer and simultaneously, my mother’s voice started becoming weaker. We felt this was due to a stroke which occurred due to the stress of her husband’s surgery. Unfortunately, her voice continued to deteriorate and we began to realize it was something more than a stroke. As currently there isn’t a test to determine if someone has ALS, it was many months before we learned she had ALS. Fortunately the ALS Association of Northern Ohio provided great comfort, insights and patience with our family as we struggled to learn about this little known disease and come to term with my mother’s terminal illness.
My mother (Emily Gertrude Jump Whipple) was formally diagnosed with ALS in the spring of 2003 and after spending as much time with friends and family as possible, in July 2004 she passed away. She was 74 years old. She was greatly missed by all that knew her.
It would be good if I could say this is the end of my ALS story; however unfortunately it is not. In 2006 my brother started having health issues and his physicians could not diagnosis his symptoms. My son and I traveled down to his daughter’s high school graduation and, upon seeing him, we knew immediately he had ALS. It was another 4 months before he was formally diagnosed. We were fortunate to travel with our sons to NYC for a couple of Yankee’s games that summer and also have a great family get together on the Lake Erie Islands.
My father became rather gloomy after his wife of 50 years passed away. He would many times cry at his desk calling her name. When he learned his eldest son had ALS, this hurt him even more. We had a large birthday party for his 80th birthday and literally two weeks later, he passed away. It could be said he died of a broken heart in March 2008. Interestingly he passed away on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter.
My brother continued to do the best he could and was cared for at home by friends and family. Unfortunately Jon lost his battle with ALS in April 2009. Interestingly Jon also passed away on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. This small coincidence gave the family hope that they were in a better place and in good hands.
Needless to say, losing our mother, father and brother took a toll on the remaining family members. My brother Tim took it the hardest and told me he would cry for 20 minutes at a time. Tim passed away just before Memorial Day 2010. As my father had, it can be said Tim died of a broken heart. Neither of my brothers reached the age of 50. As there are more centurions living today than ever before, their passing was at too young an age.
ALS was directly responsible for the loss of my mother and brother, however indirectly it was responsible for the death of my father and other brother. The ALS organization keeps track of the number of individuals who pass away from ALS however it’s not possible to track the number of individuals who indirectly pass away from ALS. How many spouses, family members or friends have passed away due to the loss of a loved one from ALS? ALS takes people directly and indirectly.
For this reason the Ice Bucket Challenge and the accompanying fundraising are more important toward saving lives than any of us can imagine. Let’s hope this fundraising will advance the research ten if not twenty years.
Fortunately the leading ALS specialist in the country (if not the world) is at the Cleveland Clinic. His name is Dr. Erik Pioro and he is known throughout the world as the leader in understanding and researching this little known disease. He has been a friend and comfort to all his patients and their families. He is a real asset to Northeast Ohio. This newly raised money will help his research and will also benefit our region.
Many years ago Lou Gehrig gave this disease a name, now thankfully in 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge has given this disease greatly needed public attention. With the new funding and public recognition, maybe one day we’ll gain a better understanding of this disease, how to diagnosis it and how to treat it; and if at all possible how to cure it. Thanks to all who took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, it will help more than we know.
Christopher Whipple has a long interest in the Cleveland area as his family has lived in the area since 1830’s. The stories he has heard from various family members helps him appreciate how great an area we live in and he is constantly pained when people speak poorly of this wonderful region. For this reason he began writing on the positive aspects of Cleveland. Christopher has a masters degree in Economics, and works as a marketing manager full time. Chris has many pursuits and is active in politics, exercise (he runs marathons), Cleveland history, the Civil War and his son’s education.