Jose & Linda's ALS journey began the Fall of 2019 when Linda began to have odd symptoms that included some delayed speech, weight loss, and mobility issues. As symptoms progressed, so did the doctor visits, test after test, but no diagnosis. Having no diagnosis was frustrating, but the devastation when we learned almost a year later in 2020 that she had a condition most commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease and medically termed ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) was unexplainable.

 

ALS is always fatal and patients typically live for 3 to 5 years after diagnosis. There currently is no cure for ALS.

 

ALS is a progressive disease where muscle tissue in the body slowly dies and causes increasing paralysis over time. Ultimately, ALS patients lose the ability to swallow, breathe and move. The person's mind, however, usually remains unaffected so he or she is acutely aware of most everything.

 

Linda’s diagnosis came as a shock to all, and the quick progression has not only been heartbreaking, but has also devastated the family’s finances.

 

At this point, not even two years post diagnosis, Linda is non-verbal, non-mobile, and on a feeding tube. She is in need of 24/7 specialized care.

 

As the medical bills continue to rise, so do the unrelenting bill collector calls that just add another level of stress.

 

We all dream of the day when we can enjoy our retirement, but for Jose this has come unexpectedly. First, the working years were extended because of the diagnosis, but now the working years must end because of the diagnosis. Linda is in need of full-time care. This is going to place quite a strain on an already unmanageable budget. Money has been borrowed and gifted, but still bills continue to pile and ends are not meeting.

 

Money raised through this fundraiser will go towards advanced medical equipment, including handicap accessible transportation, modifications to their home and the never-ending train of bills.

 

Any help that you can provide to them will go a long way in helping them cope with this tragic diagnosis.

 

Life is hard even without medical and financial hardships.

 

My brother, Jose, has always been the first one to lend a helping hand and without expecting anything in return.
Now the time has come to reach out to help him and his family.

 

As the song goes, "we all need somebody to lean on"... be that SOMEBODY today!


THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS AND FOR CONSIDERING A DONATION!
PLEASE KEEP LINDA, JOSE, AND FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS.

 

 

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."
-Mother Teresa