Amber's Journey Home

A Sweet Hello to you all ... I am Roxanna & am setting up this GoFundMe for my oldest, dearest friend Amber Adamson. Here are her words; to tell you all about her Journey: 

 

 

My name is Amber Adamson, I was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in August 2017. 

 

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurological disease that primarily affects the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement. Voluntary muscles produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time, attacking a person's ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe. Currently, there is no cure for ALS and no effective treatment to halt or reverse the progression of the disease. The average lifespan is 2 to 5 years from onset of symptoms.

In an instant my life was changed from happy go lucky to confused and angry. 

I had no understanding of my diagnosis or what lay ahead of me. I chose to remain in the dark and allow the process to unfold. In January 2018; 5 months after my diagnosis, I had a stroke. Which in looking back is not surprising because of the stress and tension I was under.  Having spent 22 days in intensive care my survival was solely by the grace of God. I returned to work in March 2018 and for that full year we were all convinced I had been misdiagnosed. In January 2019 however the ALS symptoms began Anew.  

I started to fall; having received minor injuries. My doctors then decided that I needed to stop working. In July 2019, I filed for disability which was approved immediately. However, I would have no income for five months. Thankfully, I had planned ahead and lived from my savings. The challenges began, as my disability was a quarter of what my salary had been. For the remainder of the year 2020; I lived from my 401(k). By this time, I had lost the use of both of my arms and hands, needing someone to care for me around the clock. In 2021. I had to cash out my remaining IRAs and sold my house, moving into my father’s place. At the end of the year I went into hospice in Shawnee Oklahoma. This brings me to where I am currently.

 

Completely dependent on care for each and every aspect of daily living.  Multiple caregivers for safe & proper care; including emotional support.  

 

Due to the progression of my condition, I will be needing more devices & medications to keep my quality of life at its best; these, of course, are costly.  Some of those would be a suction machine; Trilogy machine for breathing; and cough assist. This is the main reason I have started this GoFundMe… the cost of living a quality life has substantially increased.

 

I am going into my 5^th year with this disease. I would like to be able to move back to my father’s place in Oklahoma City so I can be surrounded by my animals; embraced within the comfort of warm memories I have there; for the time I have left.  

 

My hope is this GoFundMe will allow me this last wish….