FSU 4 LOS

Our Dad Carlos M. Gonzales is fighting a battle that no child wants to witness their parent endure.

Our Dad is fighting ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig Disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Several months back, he started experiencing some issues with his speech. Initially the doctors thought it may be a reaction to a medication. After stopping all medication per his Doctors request, his speech continued to be affected. As doctors attempted to properly diagnose what the problem was they discovered spasms of his tongue as a cause of his slurred speech. In the upcoming months he started experiencing weakness & partial paralysis in his left hand.

Each day that passed, we can see and hear his symptoms progressing but we still didn’t have definite answers. For months he advocated for his health by calling the doctors office relentlessly each week to be added to cancellation lists in hopes of getting earlier appointments as he visited different doctors. After a local neurology and multiple blood tests, waiting, sleep tests, ultra sounds, multiple MRIs, he finally was able to get an appointment at UCSF.

It was at this appointment after meeting with a team of doctors and running additional tests that he received the news of his devastating diagnosis, our Dad had ALS.

ALS is a difficult disease to diagnose. There is no one test or procedure to ultimately establish the diagnosis of ALS. It’s only through a clinical examination and series of diagnostic tests, often ruling out other diseases that mimic ALS, that a diagnosis can be established. It is a disease that has progressive symptoms and does not have a cure.

If you know Carlos M. Gonzales, then you know he is extremely talented. He isn’t just a photographer. He always says "Anyone can take a photo but not everyone can capture the story behind it". He is fearless with the camera in his hand. His photos need no explanation, they are distinctive, they touch your heart and demonstrate an expression of life. More importantly each photo is part of his story.

Besides his passion for photography, he has volunteered countless hours of his time & talent to varies local schools, organizations, charities and community events. He continuously gives of himself to his family and friends with out hesitation and no expectation of anything in return. He truly loves everyone and just likes to see people happy.

However his one true love in life has always been being a Dad. It has always been his number one priority to put his children before anything else. He constantly pours his love into us unconditionally and continues to give us guidance and encouragement. Even after his diagnosis. He continues to push us to want more for ourselves, to work hard but most importantly to be kind & respectful human beings. He continues to lay the foundation in each of us to get us through this difficult time and the rest of our lives. We wouldn’t be who we are today without his endless love and support.

We started this page to share our Dad’s journey and provide important information on future fundraisers & community events that will be held in his honor. Over the next days, weeks, and months he will need medications, special medical equipment and have countless doctor appointments. Normal costs of every day living are already becoming a challenge. His medical costs are expected to be astronomical.

We kindly ask that you follow and share this page with friends and family. It’s important for him that the word get out about his diagnosis so he can continue to be out in the community doing what he love to do without having to explain what is going on with him. We can’t do this without the love and support from each and every one of you. Like our dad would say "It’s time to FSU" So let’s FSU for LOS!!!