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Tonight I will be giving a talk along with my neurologist to over 90 medical professionals.  Dr. Wiley, my neurologist, has been a great encouragement to me these last nine years.  A while back we gave this talk to the Kent County medical Society.  I spoke from the perspective of the patient and he spoke from the perspective of a physician.  It was very well received and so we are doing it again at Calvary Church -- the church that I served for over 18  years.

 

The last nine years since I was diagnosed with ALS have been a wild ride.  I have been encouraged and discouraged.  I have had moments of great joy and utter desperation.  It has been the best of times and the worst of times.  Of course I am deeply grateful that nine years later I am still alive.  I have outlived the prognosis of the doctors.  So you would think that after nine years my emotions would be rather stable -- not!  I know that tonight when I began talking about the early stages, symptoms and the natural reaction to being diagnosed, the emotions are just underneath the surface.  Every time I meet with another person who has been recently diagnosed with ALS, it is as if I have been just diagnosed myself. Dr. Phil Stover, a friend from the past, used to say," Emotions are never buried dead-- they are always buried alive."  he was right -  they are lurking just beneath the surface.  So for me, tonight will be a very emotional night.  I may not break down and cry but I know I will be on the verge of it the entire evening.