Diagnosis

Since March I have been having some symptoms: slurred speech, weakness in my hands, weak eyelids, excessive emotions. I had a busy March with getting Michael off on his mission and having a new granddaughter in New York. In April I finally headed to the doctor and had an ultrasound of my throat. A nodule was discovered on my thyroid and it was subsequently biopsied and found benign. It didn't have anything to do with my symptoms.

Then I was referred to a neurologist. In the month and a half since then I have been put on two different medicines for myasthenia gravis; neither one helped with the symptoms (but I was privileged to have all the side effects). On July 21st I finally got into the U of U Neurology department to see a specialist and I was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or Motor Neuron Disease. It is a degenerative disease that attacks the motor neurons and they just die off. There is no cure. There is a medicine that seems to arrest the development of the disease for a time and I'm starting that today. About 50% of people die within two to five years, but there are also people leaving with ALS for 5-15 years. I hope to be one of those!

I'm grateful to have as my doctor, the leading specialist on ALS in seven states. They have a great ALS clinic at the U of U where people come from all over the western states.

It was a devastating diagnosis - we're calling it a "major bummer!" The hardest part was telling our children and mourning with each one. We were able to talk to Michael in Korea and tell him the bad news. I promised to keep his dog, Annie, alive while he was gone, now it seems I need to keep his Mom alive while he is gone.

I have many things to be grateful for: 53 great years of life on this beautiful earth, 35 years of a wonderful marriage with the love of my life, being a mother to six beautiful children, being Nanajan to seven grandchildren. As I have heard of people being diagnosed in their twenties, I have been especially grateful that I was able to raise my family before this disease struck me. I've had a truly blessed life! I'm not afraid to die, but I will miss being with my family.

My new favorite scripture is Mosiah 24:15

"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

If I had a "bucket list" it would be the last fourteen words of that scripture. In the mean time I'm going to live my life to the fullest every day!