Our dads battle against ALS

For those of you who don’t know this wonderful man; my father has been a strong leader and warrior for Christ since he was a young adult. God sure has mapped out an incredibly journey for him. To many who know him, his life has had many obstacles and challenges, but to him every step of his life has been the building blocks of his faith and the foundation of a man I am so honored to call my DAD. For those of you who are so fortunate to know him well, you know he is such a loving, yet a strong man in mind, body and faith & spirit.









My dad has been an amazing father to my brothers, my sister and I, and I’ll say, an even better Papa to his grandchildren. He is a great friend and brother in Christ to anyone he meets. He has given us opportunities and life he never had as a child. He has always provided for his family and has been a loving husband to my mom for the past 40+ years. He's worked so hard his entire life to build our futures. He has supported us and been there for us every step of the way. So now it's our turn to be there for him. 




Just a year ago, Dad was living a normal life. He started noticing his speech was off, he was feeling tired a lot and he was having trouble completing his daily walks. We thought he may have had a stroke. After a long exhaustive search for answers,  few months ago we received the devastating news that my dad, James Messina, has  been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease known as ALS (Lou Gehrig's). This was a stunning and devastating  diagnosis for him and our family. This is a terminal disease where the nerve cells that control your muscles die, beginning with loss of speech and mobility, followed by the ability to breathe, eventually paralyzes, all while maintaining normal cognitive function. You are, in a very literal way, trapped within your own body, eventually resulting in death. ALS , it affects the body in so many ways that it takes a team of medical professionals to properly care for an ALS patient.The average person has a life expectancy of 2- 3 years after diagnosis. Although he was just recently diagnosed with Bulbar ALS, we know he has shown symptoms for quite some time.  He  already has slurred  speech and experiences swallowing and chocking problems. This is truly an absolutely cruel and nightmarish disease and something we are still struggling to come to terms with.  

While there is no known treatment or cure for ALS, we cannot simply stand by and do nothing while the disease runs its course. We are thankful for the VA insurance that helps with devises needed.  However, we are trying every promising alternative approach, supplement, special eastern therapy treatments and potential medicine we can find in hopes of slowing the progression of this disease. None of these alternatives are covered by any health insurance plan nor the VA. The insurance companies/VA basically help guide you to your death sentence.

We know they say they are closer than ever in finding the cure. We hope that with the medical treatment, it will prolong his life and the cure will be found in time. We are not a family that just gives up. This man never gave up on any of us. We are trusting in God.





It has been heartbreaking for us to watch our father, who has been everything, have to go through this wretched disease. We want him to be so happy & full of the purest love before this bloody awful disease takes our best friend, our hero & our first true love, our daddy away. I thank God every day for the time we have with our father. 




We also ask for prayers for my mom. She is not handling this well. She has never been apart from our dad. She is so scared and we feel like we are losing her through this horrbile time. My mom has had to take on much more than she ever expected. She is so lost and I can see her breaking inside.

My dad is concerned for her. He doesn't want to leave her with no financial income. This has been stress on both of them. Stress is the worst for ALS patients. It causes the disease to move faster. 




We, as his daughters, and son, have reached down deep both emotionally and financially to be there for my parents and help in every way possible. Despite all of this, none of us are in a position to tackle something as serious as this by ourselves and it is simply not enough. It is all of these overwhelming factors that are forcing us to reach out to you to help secure for our partents a way to cover and manage these unsutainable costs. We didnt want to ask for help from anyone. But at this time we need to put our pride aside and reach out. The purpose of this is to help my dad with all the extra medical expenses, treatments and equipment he will need. The insurance will not cover the treatment he needs.  This disease is upon the 5 worst terminal diseases to die from. With the continued treatment, he will get a better quaility of life. The treatment is very costly. My sister and I are helping my mom care for our dad. This is a time that we all will pull together and be there for our dad, no matter what it takes. 







Daddy...Words are not enough, but … “Thank You!” Thank you for the Godly example that you are! Thank you for the life and legacy that you’ve given us! Thank you for being our DAD! Im so sorry pappa that you have to go through this. I wish I could trade you places. My heart is broken forever.

Anything you can donate is and will be greatly appreciated. Please - Help us save our dad! God bless



No amount is to small. Every dollar or prayer will help.
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If you would like all the donation to go directly to Jim Messina (go fund me has a fee % of each donation), you may mail directly to him or donate through paypal at [email redacted]. Thank you again!

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