This year has been eventful. I was in the hospital most of January and into February. During my time there, I had multiple pneumonias, and I coded (almost died) which resulted in a tracheostomy. Ironically, I had my trach replaced twice to get the best fit. After the hospital stay, it took me a couple of months to recover at home. As I continue to feel better, I have tried to reengage with the outside world. I lost my ability to speak, so I use an eye gaze device to speak. I am still slow, which is frustrating. I am using the same device to type this up. I continue to work through this and get more efficient. I am so thankful for all the prayers and support through this time.
ALS takes away the ability to use many of your muscles. It is a progressive disease. I have lost my ability to move my legs and arms, breathe with my diaphragm, and swallow food. I use a ventilator to breathe and a feeding tube to eat. I rely on others to handle most of my daily life needs. I am so thankful for my wife, Sheila, and my other caregiver and niece, Tiffany. They must deal with a lot to keep me alive and well.
This brings me to the title of this post. My wife and I have been listening to the Bible in the morning with our church’s reading plan. As we went through the plan, I was inspired by the command to love the Lord with all your body, soul, and mind. Why does that matter? ALS steals your body. It can do harm to your mind, but that is not true in my case right now. I am 67%. My body is broken, but my soul and mind are still intact. My family and I have decided that 67% is better than nothing. It is not an easy life, but it’s life. I still believe God has a plan for us. I may not understand it all right now, but my hope and faith are in Jesus. I look forward to seeing him soon, but until then I will enjoy time with my family and friends.
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!
Psalms 42:11 NLT
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