Perspective
My husband's good friend from work just got diagnosed with ALS. I knew someone who had ALS and I can't think of a more horrible disease. Progressive, incurable, painful.
This gives me even more motivation to stay GF. This is a man with young children who will not live to see them graduate HS. He has a beautiful, loving wife and is active in volunteering in the community. Good friend, loving son and brother, and he will waste away before their eyes. He has no "group" that can help him beat this. He has no choice. He has no hope.
In a strange way, I feel like I owe it to him, as much as I owe it to the people I love and who love me, to stay GF. To throw away all the potential my life has to offer, to throw away the trust of my family, to throw away everything, when I have a healthy body and a potentially long life to live, while he is having his life taken from him, would be the most selfish and disrespectful thing I could do.
For those of you who pray, please keep him and his family in your prayers.
This gives me even more motivation to stay GF. This is a man with young children who will not live to see them graduate HS. He has a beautiful, loving wife and is active in volunteering in the community. Good friend, loving son and brother, and he will waste away before their eyes. He has no "group" that can help him beat this. He has no choice. He has no hope.
In a strange way, I feel like I owe it to him, as much as I owe it to the people I love and who love me, to stay GF. To throw away all the potential my life has to offer, to throw away the trust of my family, to throw away everything, when I have a healthy body and a potentially long life to live, while he is having his life taken from him, would be the most selfish and disrespectful thing I could do.
For those of you who pray, please keep him and his family in your prayers.
Replies
Perspective. So important. Very sad story and I will pray for the whole family. Shelly, tell him there is a tennis pro out in Oregon who cares and is pulling for him. Is that Lou Gehrig\'s disease? In a sense, I have felt fortunate that what has happened to me as a youth and then drinking and gambling and then cancer has made me stronger and more appreciative of the connection and love I get on this site. Your husband must feel awful as well. Love to all of you,Jon
Thank you Jon. Yes, it is Lou Gehrig\'s disease. And I will pass your thoughts on to him.
My favorite literary character is Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mockingbird. I remember seeing the movie when I was probably 9 years old. When he said to his daughter Scout \"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.\", it had a profound impact on me.
Over the years, I grew more judgmental, I suppose. My struggles with gambling have brought me back full circle, now that I am one of those whose \"point of view\" could easily be condemned. Your past experience and struggles have brought you to the same place, too. Humbling and freeing at the same time.
The character flaws that drove me to gambling, and the pain that drove you to your addictions, caused our lives to crumble. Once they crumbled, we reached for help. And that help has led to you being more compassionate, more appreciative, more enlightened and stronger than you probably ever would have been had you not \"fallen into the abyss.\" I strive to be where you are someday.
I have so much respect for your honesty, your experience and willingness to help and reach out to those of us who are just starting this journey. You have really filled the void left behind when eastwester left.
(I wish he would have left his posts up. Even if he needed to go, there was so much to be learned from the hundreds of posts and comments he had made. Even the PM\'s he sent me are gone. )
Anyway, I hope you have a beautiful, gamble free day!
Shelly
Shelly, to kill a Mockingbird Bird was a great movie. I have many times over many years admonished one or another or many if you have not walked in someone else\'s shoes shut the f... up. Knowing full well what I was going through and the person they were referring to, not me. Almost to the point of blows sometimes. All on the tennis court. When I was first told I had cancer I could not talk. I was in shock. I made an appt. to return and then drove the two hours to Portland to start my research. Nothing was going to be done to me in this little town. My oncologist in Portland after all the prelims told me I had no more than five years. Once again I was in shock and drove the two hours home thinking about my past, mistakes I made, girls I wished I would have asked out. And, I will tell you that I was very,very popular and attractive, but on the inside I felt like the biggest loser on earth. And, I was the most popular athlete. I have now passed the six year mark and am in excellent health. Some cancers are indolent,(meaning slow growing). Perhaps that is me. I can probably be in the top twenty tennis player rankings in the world right now at my age for senior players. Enough about me. I looked up Lou Gehrigs disease on Wikipedia. I remember as a kid crying when Babe Ruth died and he and Lou Gehrig were both Yankee\'s. I was stunned to read about this disease and the severity of it. I am saddened to the point of not knowing what to say. Remember that onset and diagnosis are two different things. To Shelly and her husband, all I can say right now is walk softly, and carry A lot of love. Jon
Shelly, I hope I did not offend you with my last post. I am deeply troubled by what your friend is going through. I have not heard from you and wondered if I said something wrong. Jon
Oh no Jon! No offense taken, no reason to take offense! I love reading your comments, and it shows that you are a caring person just for looking up ALS on behalf of a perfect stranger.
No, my computer finally died Wednesday night. I got a new one yesterday, but spent all evening getting it set up. Now, we are in tornado preparation mode. We live right outside of Wichita, and there\'s been a prediction for severe weather tomorrow with strong tornado activity. Hope it doesn\'t happen but better safe than sorry!
Hope all is well with you, my friend!
Thanks Shelly, I was worried. You all are important to me. Bless your friend with positive vibes and get in your bomb shelter. Hope the storm passes you by, I have been reading about it. Stay safe we need you. Jon
Shelly, hope you are ok. Saw a picture of a tornado landing in Soloman, Kansas wherever that is. Also, all around Wichita at air force bases. Scary, indeed. Take care. Jon
Hi Jon! Yes, it was uncomfortably close, we live directly across the street from McConnell AFB. There was significant damage about a mile from us. We lost power, but no damage to our neighborhood at all! Thank you so much for being concerned! It really means a lot...going to go help with the clean up efforts, lots of trees down and debris in town. Talk to you later! Shelly
Happy result for you anyway. I am sure there are a lot of people in distress. Wish I could help with the cleanup. Jon