Essay On Armando's ALS Story

Have you ever heard of ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease? For many people, ALS is a disorder that they may not know much about. I never heard of it either until my father was diagnosed with this disease in 2006. Because there is no known cure, it is important to detect this disease early, so that proper treatments and preparation can be done before it’s too late.

The first time I was truly made aware of the influence of ALS was when my previous band director at Waukesha North, Mr. Greg Redner, made the decision to move himself, and his growing family at the time entirely to Texas, where his parents lived, and his father was recently diagnosed with ALS. I began to quickly understand that this disease effects much more than simply a degeneration of the muscle cell's in one's body, but it challenges the roles and responsibilities of the family members and friends that are required to support them. The greatest impact that ALS has on the family specifically is undoubtedly the extremely limited amount of time that the disease allows for not only prognosis medically, but also the transition into living with ALS daily as a normality. In recent years, multiple different types

People first need to know what ALS is. ALS is very difficult to diagnose. So far there is no

Sports athletes such as Lou Gehrig gain success and win championships, but they may lose their ability to perform daily functions. Diseases such as ALS and CTE are one of the main causes that strip athletes from continuing to practice sports and physical activities. These two conditions are consequences of hits and impacts to the head that affect the brain. Therefore, people should be prepared and know what to do when an athlete receives a blow to the head. Rules should be made to protect the athletes from head trauma like adding equipment or prohibiting certain physical activities that would create a chance of receiving an impact to the brain.

When undermined by an incurable disease, it’s difficult to think positively. Especially with multiple sclerosis, where life adjustments - including changes to communication, daily routines, even basic bodily functions - are necessary, it’s likely to approach situations hopelessly. However, essayist Nancy Mairs provides her own detailed anecdote on accepting these lifelong impairments. In her essay, “On Being a Cripple,” Mairs develops her attitude toward her condition through multiple accounts of asyndetons, figurative language, and her personal experience.

Professional athletes can be at risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,Chronic Traumatic Encetholpothy and concussions. The reason they can occur is because of brain trauma. ALS is a diseases in which certain nerves cells in the brain in the spinal cord slowly die, it is also responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements. On the other hand CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans and others that have a history in repetitive brain trauma. In CTE, a protein called Tau forms clumps that slowly spreads throughout the brain cells, killing brain cells. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that affects your brain function. Concussions are usually caused by a blow to the

P: After working together and people looking out for each other the team will get stronger and be more productive as there is high morale

Gloria Taylor, a resident of British Columbia; mother of 2 sons and grandmother of an 11 year old granddaughter; and a postal and resident care worker, was diagnosed with ALS. Taylor’s ALS symptoms began in 2003, experiencing cramps in her limbs, however it was not until December of 2009, Taylor was diagnosed with ALS. After the diagnosis, Taylor stated that she did not want to die slowly and painfully, but rather with dignity. Fighting for her right to die, she was joined by Lee Carter and Hollis Johnson, Dr William Shoichet, and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (or BCCLA).

I started being able to pick up objects that weighed more than seven pounds. My muscles were not as strong as they were before I got diagnosed, but I believed that I could regain all the frail muscle I had into strong, beautiful muscles. Tomorrow would be the second day of school for me. I took off almost three months of school and all my sports were postponed until I started getting better. “Bri, you are making a spectacular recovery, this is the first case this whole hospital has seen where only one dose of Riluzole has almost cured you from ALS!” he exclaimed to me. He told me to take it slow, only pick up items less than five pounds and be careful with cuts or sores getting infected. I went home that day with a smile on my face and a hop in my step. It was satisfied to know that I was the first person to have this type of recovery. Even though I still have the diagnosis of ALS, I go back to doing my normal things. Now I play for my school soccer team and this past season I got over $2,000 in donations for me and my condition, I donated all the donations I received to the ALS Association for people that are going through this disease that can’t afford the medication

Jakobsson Larsson, B., Nordin, K., & Nygren, I. (2016). Coping with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; from diagnosis and during disease progression. Journal Of The Neurological Sciences, 361235-242. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2015.12.042

One day we will all face the inevitable guest of death. But nevertheless, there are many options when a terminal illness strikes you or someone you love. For example, you may choose to fight and attempt to move forward with a sense of hope or allow the prognosis to paralyze you, and eventually give up on life. Paul Kalanithi, the author and main character of the autobiography, When Breath Becomes Air, was faced with this choice after being diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 36. Paul did not have a clear vision of the future, but he deemed himself worthy to go on.

In 2010 my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. At the time, he was living in Montgomery, Alabama with my grandmother, but a couple years later, they moved to the house next door to my family so we would be able to spend as much time as we could with my grandfather. Time had passed and none of his memory seemed to have faltered, but he did have issues with speech and voluntary movement. This led my family to believe he was falsely diagnosed. Due to this, my grandmother took my grandfather to Emory Hospital to see what they had to say. In 2012, at the age of 64, my grandfather was diagnosed with Corticobasal Degenerative Disease and was given six months to live.

My first patient was a sweet man that lived in a nursing home. With his wife living 30 minutes away, he got lonely. He loved classic mystery novels, but his eyesight didn’t allow him to read the small print on his own. Most of my visits with him were spent reading those novels to him. He was always appreciative of the time I spent with him, even if he accidentally fell asleep. I had a total of 3 patients with Legacy, but with him I learned the importance of honest communication in the health care system. After some time struggling with his prognosis, he decided to stop dialysis. His wife explained to me that he made the decision on his own. She was angry that they weren’t informed on how horrible a death it would be. The doctor told them that

been by a paralyzed inability to except the painful sense of loss (Jamil, 2009). The pretense of

I felt like I was dragging through life. Going through the motions but I didn’t have pride in what I was doing or who I was. I couldn’t shake this feeling of simultaneously feeling numb and being in pain. That pain I felt didn’t make me sad but I felt hurt because I came to a realization that I don’t matter. I thought that everyone goes through this so this has to be normal, right? For me I thought it was normal because it was my normal. What I didn’t know is that “my normal” was extreme that was abnormal. I didn’t know that wanting everything to stop or my life to stop was extreme so I just dealt with it. I felt like a sad clown; looked happy on the outside but alone on the inside. I hated that I couldn’t shake this feeling. Soon it became very real because I was going to act on it which scared me to no end. I went to the doctor to have her drag it out of me being that I couldn’t deal with my feelings. She said “you’re depressed.”