Kickin' ALS's Ass...

I have been working on writing a book on my experiences with ALS and sharing tips on daily living as well as, hopefully, some useful insights.  I will be posting it here as go along and appreciate any comments.

The Remote Control

We males are a simple lot.  We tend to avoid multitasking because we screw up multiple things at once.  We have laser-like focus on one thing at a time, often to the irritation of our wife or girlfriend (hopefully you don’t one of each concurrently!).

And as we all know, ‘‘what’s her’s is her’s and what’s ours is her’s’’...except for the remote.  This is where we draw the line in the sand.

Rejoice

Life is such a wonderful gift and most of us are so wrapped up in trivial matters, we forget to live.  When was the last time you took a walk with a loved one or dear friend?  How long since you hugged someone just because?  I could go on but you get the idea.

Carpe Diem should become a goal.

Rejoice in the simple, for therein dwells life!

More Ladies continued...

Sorry for the lack of postings. It takes quite awhile to type, one letter at a time, with a mouse and virtual keyboard.

This last installment of ‘Ladies’ is dedicated to my dream team: my lovely wife and daughters.

Their ceaseless harassment has engendered a continuos state of fun and light-heartedness that keeps us all upbeat and positive.  I am truly blessed.

More Ladies continued...

We have been very fortunate finding caregivers whose personalities are compatible.

Shirese has stepped into the fray like a long-time friend. Shirese is a single mom and her eight-year-old daughter is a positive fireball.

Shirese also has some unique experience that keeps me on my best behavior: she was an LAPD Police Officer for five years. I keep wondering about handcuffs...

The Ladies continued...

Since February we’ve had help on the weekends from a real character.  Henda is a wonderful addition to the support team.  Immigrating from France about 12 years ago, she has become a Naturalized Citizen.  Henda has a great wit and pulls no punches making sure I get my full ration every weekend.

You might be wondering why weekend support is needed since my lovely bride is available.  My current position on the ALS Adventure Road Map (not available at your local book seller) is the ‘road less traveled’ location, which I think is somewhere between Rock and Hardspot, Arizona.  This vacation venue requires guests to be totally dependent on others for even the simplest events like scratching your ear (caregivers can earn point for style). Guests must also be unable to breathe on their own (points given for coolest decals on the ventilator).

Weekend support allows the Little General to take care of resupply trips, etc. without worrying about my safety; it is all about me after all. ☺

The Ladies

One of the perquisites of having ALS, and having had the presence of mind to purchase long term care insurance, is the opportunity to meet some very special Ladies: my Caregivers. These Angels are indispensable in making the day-to-day mundane of ablutions, dressing, and culinary needs not so daunting.

Because these gems take such great care of me, I have been accused of ‘living like a King’ and that sentiment may not be far from the truth ( horror-stories about caregivers abound ).

Tomi (pronounced ‘toe-mee’) was with us for a year before returning to nursing school this last September.  Originally from Nigeria, she immigrated here 11 years ago at age 12.  When I started this blog, Tomi was kind enough to type for me. She is also quite talented; check out

http://www.reverbnation.com/main/overview_artist?feature=landingpage#/nextomi

Tomi is quite the young lady.