Help Janie's ALS Fight

As he walked through the local hobby store in Gastonia, NC, on a hot summer’s day in 1970, Mike Walker noticed a female customer from his dad’s garage shop with her friend. Both were good lookers. She was with her daughter, the most beautiful young teenage girl Mike had ever seen. Within seconds of seeing her, he whispered, “Wow, I need that girl’s number.” But how to get it? He decided that small talk with the mother was the right approach.

As Mike walked up to the pair, he never imagined that this chance encounter at 16 years old would lead to finding his wife and a lifetime of fond memories.

Yes, Janie indeed gave Mike her number that day. She was equally as smitten with him. after several months of courting over the phone, Janie’s protective father finally allowed Mike to visit Janie at their home. It was then that their romance blossomed, and eventually, the once-teenage sweethearts married and started building a life together. Later they welcomed two sons Christopher and Jonathan into their lives.

Over the years, Mike and his sons witnessed firsthand Janie’s love for the two of them and all the people in her life. She was the strength and backbone of their small family unit. Her passion was nurturing those that she loved – ensuring that everyone else’s needs were taken care of well before hers. When Janie’s mother fell ill with dementia, she didn’t hesitate to move her Mom into their home to ensure she was cared for - around the clock – for four years. Caring for family was what she did best.

A SHOCKING TURN FOR THE WORSE – ALS STRIKES

Unfortunately, in May 2022, seven days after her 68 birthday, Janie suddenly fell ill with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - also called Lou Gehrig’s disease). Her speech pattern was the first to be affected, then her muscles grew extremely weak and stiff. Next, she experienced trouble standing without falling. Every day seemed to present a new terrifying experience of her body not working. The worst part still is that her mind has stayed perfect while her body is failing her. Her world is getting smaller by the day and eventually she will be trapped in her mind.

Ultimately Janie will face difficulty in swallowing, compromised speech and the inability to walk - she’s facing significant weight loss and at some point will lose the ability to feed herself and will require the insertion of a feeding tube.

If you’re unfamiliar with the disease – it’s unbelievably heartbreaking how debilitating it can be for the patient and their families. The cause of ALS is unknown, and scientists don’t know why ALS strikes some people and not others. Sadly, in Janie’s family, she’s not the first to be diagnosed with the disease. She witnessed her father fall ill with the same disease in 1987, dying in 1989.

Alarmingly - every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS. In fact, the disease affects ~30,000 people in the U.S., with 5,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THEY ARE FACING?

The Walkers need support - a lot of it – fast! Mike and Jonathan are doing their best to hold the family unit together. Mike works tirelessly to ensure each day to make sure that Janie is comfortable, while Jonathan works to ensure the bills are being paid.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Mike and Jonathan’s new normal is to ensure Janie properly receives the following:

• Nutrition to keep her from starving to death,

• Daily aids for bathing, toileting, dressing, sleeping, medication, travel, communication,

• Nurse administered assistance with daily infusions.

They also are facing bills for items that their insurance just doesn’t cover, such as:

• A tilt and recline wheelchair that runs between $25 – 45K,

• Personal vehicle modification for hospital visits,

• A home hospital bed frame and mattress,

• Feeding tube formula so that she can eat,

• And 24-hour in-home care.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. People with ALS lose the ability to move, eat, speak, and eventually, to breathe. There is no cure for ALS. This fatal disease can strike anyone at any time. It takes away the freedom to walk, to talk, to run and dance.

To laugh. To hug. To eat. To breathe.

However, it’s not too late to help Janie, Mike, and Jonathan. As you can imagine, this has resulted in the loss of emotional and financial support and of course, has had an additional major impact on their lives. These developments have been beyond stressful to say the least.

While many are working tirelessly to help solve the mystery as to why this disease is thriving – can you help Mike, Jonathan, and Janie to relieve some of their financial burden and anxiety? Will you help to ensure this family receives a ray of light to continue their legacy of love and caring continues?

Thank you so much for opening your heart and donating to this loving family!