Help Chris & Beth Fight ALS-Lyme-Mold Toxicity ❤️

Hello~ We are Amanda and Jenny, and we created this fundraiser for our best friends Chris & Beth Larson.

Chris was recently diagnosed with ALS, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. With this diagnosis comes major life changes and significant stress. Chris’s mobility has declined to the point that he’s unable to work, so right now they are living on Beth’s income alone. (Please see "updates" for details on more recent diagnoses of Lyme and Mold Toxicity.)

This is where the changes and stress come in as they live in a split-entry home that is difficult for Chris to navigate. They hope to fix up their home to sell, or remodel it to make it fit Chris's needs more appropriately so he can keep up the mobility he still has, and make it easier for Beth to care for him. This will be challenging for them with Chris not working and medical bills plus other expenses weighing them down. (Check out "updates" to learn about current endeavors with making their home healthy and accessible for Chris.)

That is why we’re asking for your help and such a large goal.

Now let us tell you about our best friends and their story...

It started 22 years ago when they found each other and fell in love with their soul mate. They’ve made a lot of memories together and want to make so many more…just with a little less stress that began last year with Chris’s story.

He first started to notice something was wrong when he developed foot drop in his right leg and back pain in March 2021. This brought them to Twin Cities Orthopedics, where Beth works, to seek out the cause of his symptoms. An MRI confirmed that he had a herniated disc at L5-S1 that was causing severe compression on the nerve that runs down his right leg. After 2 failed injections they opted to proceed with a recommended surgery in September 2021 to alleviate the compression and hopefully relieve his symptoms. The surgery was successful and completely resolved his symptoms. With physical therapy he was getting stronger and more active! But things took a turn in mid December 2021 after a severe flare-up of Ulcerative Colitis, which he was diagnosed with in early December after dealing with gastrointestinal issues that developed in the summer of 2021. That’s when his physical therapist started to notice an onset of neurological symptoms that didn’t correlate with his back surgery and his surgeon agreed. He was then referred to a neurologist for consultation. After a neuro physical examination, more MRIs, blood work, and an EMG in February 2022, the cause of these neurological symptoms was still unknown, so he was referred to Mayo Clinic. In April 2022, Chris was seen at Mayo for physical examinations and a variety of tests. It was then concluded that Chris’s symptoms and test results indicated an ALS diagnosis.

And now here we are today, as we all come to grips with this terminal diagnosis. You can imagine how this has affected them physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. Please help us to give some brighter days ahead for Chris and Beth as they journey down this unknown road. Anything you can give is greatly appreciated! Please also share this, and every prayer helps too!

With all our love, Amanda Bostic and Jenny Weisenberger ❤️