ALS: Marty Skovlund Sr. Needs Help!

My name is Marie Skovlund. My husband of 30 years is Marty Skovlund Sr., and he was diagnosed with ALS this year. We are asking for your help to cover the significant expenses that come with this fast-acting, incurable disease.

ALS is a neurodengerative disease that robs you of your ability to walk, talk, and eventually eat and breathe. It's always fatal; there is no known cure. 

Marty Sr. is a veteran  of the U.S. Army, father of five children, and grandfather of seven. Both of his sons have served in the military, and his youngest son is currently a paramedic as well. 

Marty Sr. has worked blue collar labor jobs for the past 30 years to support his family. From packing plants , railroad diesel mechanic, to being a machinist, he worked 12-16 hours a day, sometimes 6 days a week to make ends meet. Taking care of his family has always been his first priority. 

Due to how rapidly his ALS is progressing, he had to retire in August 2016. His applications for disability benefits from both the VA and Railroad Retirement have still not been accepted, leaving the family with only one, part-time source of income.  

His body has weakened to the point that stairs are now dangerous for him as he has fallen down them several times at this point. The bathrooms in our house are in the basement and on the second floor, and are not handicap accessible; he has fallen in the shower once and, in a separate incident, accidentally ripped a towel bar off the wall while trying to keep his balance. This is why we desprately need a main floor, handicap accessible bathroom/shower to help him stay in our home, the home that has seen four generations of our family raised in it. 

We recently talked to a contractor that estimated the cost to be $6,000-$10,000 to build a bathroom on the main floor that has a walk in shower, vanity, and toilet- all handicap accessible to ADA specifications. The bathroom is our most pressing issue, but if we are able to raise more than our goal, that money will go towards building a wheel chair ramp to get in to the house, travel expenses for doctors visits, and helping with basic bills until the disability payments start coming in. 

We have applied for various grants, and continue to apply for more to make these modifications, but those take time and we cannot wait any longer.

We have drained our savings and any credit options we have just to keep our household running on my part-time pay alone. We hate that we are at this point, but we need help NOW.

Whether you are able to make a donation or just share this link, please help us raise this money. Everything