The time of year is here again. I will be participating in the Walk to End ALS. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Your body stops working while your brain is still fully functional. There are few effective treatments and no cure. My Dad was diagnosed with ALS in September 2023. He was told he had as little as 18 months to live, He has now surpassed the 18 month mark. With in the first 7 months after being diagnosed he had already lost the ability to walk and relied on a scooter to get around. Now we are sitting at the point where my dad has lost complete mobility and has almost zero function of his arms and hands. His speech is very slow and exacerbated. Dad also now had a feeding tube put in because swallowing has become very difficult. With that comes difficulty swallowing the secretions from his mouth and throat and he has challenges with choking and suffocation. He does have a suction tube that his partner uses to give him relief. The ALS society has given them machines to get him in and out of bed, in and out of the tub/shower, a machine to lift and maneuver him around the house and get him in and out of his chair, as well as mobility scooters and a chair lift into the house. With out the kind donations from people like you, these machines would not be available for people like my dad. My dad lived a healthy lived style, ate healthy and went to the gym every day. He had a love for the outdoors and loved going on motorcycle trips and vacationing with his partner Nicole. There is no level of appreciation we can show for Nicole to show how grateful we are for all your love and care for our dad. Nicole gave up her dream job to work from home so she could take care of him. WE LOVE YOU FOR ALL YOUR DEDICATION. With that being said, My dad has also made the decision to use MAiD. As much as we support his decision, it is a very difficult one to accept. This is a very hard situation for everyone.