Daniel (JD) Talton ALS Battle

After noticing a little muscle weakness, my husband Daniel (he goes by JD at work), decided to see a doctor. Our lives were changed forever by the diagnosis: A.L.S. - also known as Lou Gehrigs Disease. We've all heard of it, but I didn't really know what it was. It is a Neuromuscular Disease that slowly kills the body's muscles.  My healthy, adventurous, driven husband who exercised daily, ate a healthy diet and could never sit still was given the worst diagnosis that we could imagine. No cure, only 1 drug that only slowed progression for a few months and a 2-5 year life expectancy. 2-5 really tough years. Our kids were 11 and 16 at the time. He has always been so close with them and their hero. The best "crash test daddy" anyone could ask for. He never thought about what would happen to him - only about how this  would affect them. They come before everything for him (that includes me, as it should be).  We moved back to south Florida, after living in Houston for 17 years, to be near our families. Both of our kids are proud Native Texans and we were all sad to leave, but it's so nice to be near our siblings and parents again! Everyone says, "wow, he's such a great guy", but Daniel really is. He has spent his career helping others and  with the dream of doing his part to make the world a little better for our kids. Even though he knew he would miss our son's 1st birthday, he was excited for the opportunity to serve his country in Iraq and later did the same in Afghanistan. He was one of the first group to respond to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina and stayed there for weeks helping those who had lost everything. We have a file cabinet full of awards and commendations that he is too humble to let me frame. Reading this today will be the first time many of our friends, family and his coworkers hear of this. It is because he didn't want for people to have heavy hearts over him and he doen't want sympathy. If you contact him - don't say "I'm sorry". Maybe a "Dude, that sucks!".  What he does want is a chance to spend more time with the kids and I.  To return to the job that he loves. The first new ALS drug in 22 years, Radicava, has recently been approved by the FDA. The price tag on the drug alone is $7,500 per week. Infusions are an extra cost and this drug has to be taken for the rest of his life. Our insurance company has stepped up a little, but the out of pocket costs are still high. We have these costs as well as all of the supliments that he takes to keep him strong. We believe the cure is out there and that it's  just a matter of finding the right combination of drugs and supplements. I know that this has been a long read. Believe me, I edited! "Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will."  Gandhi