Jackie King (formerly Ellis) was one of the first people I met when I moved to Durango, Colorado. From that point on, Jackie’s attitude towards life has always inspired me: she’s a compassionate and loving human, resilient in the face of obstacles, and focused on her priorities.

When my dad struggled with Alzheimer’s, Jackie helped me set up a caregiving team that greatly improved his quality of life. She’d follow his interests: taking him - at age 83 - on trail rides on horseback; play walking polo with him; and connect with him over their mutual love of animals.

But now it is Jackie who needs loving care and support from her friends near and far.

Two and a half years ago, Jackie was diagnosed with progressive bulbar palsy, a form of the neurodegenerative disease ALS, which in her case has affected her ability to speak and to swallow.

Jackie’s currently using assistive technologies to communicate more clearly. With her voice recorded on her phone, she can type out sentences and “speak” them. She also uses a low-tech whiteboard! Eating is becoming increasingly challenging though. Because her facial muscles and tongue are impacted by this disease, even eating soft foods is a slow process. But facing nutritional deficit would only add to her health issues, so she is considering when to put a feeding tube in place so that she can maintain an active lifestyle.

But in typical Jackie manner, she has not allowed this disease to slow her down too much. She hikes everyday with her energetic border collie, Hank. Jackie is extremely grateful that her type of ALS has not affected her limbs. Staying physically active, nurturing a healthy lifestyle and keeping a positive mindset of healing are practices that Jackie embraces on this journey. Nature has always been where Jackie has found her peace and balance. As she writes, “When diagnosed, I went into the mountains…did a lot of screaming, crying and cussing…then came back to my inner strength and inherent determination. My choice was to make this happening a gift to myself and to others, particularly my children. Life gives all of us real challenges, and how we face those challenges is what gives us tenacity and peace. This is how we learn, thrive, show love for ourselves and others, and become a human with greater depth and awareness. I chose gratitude and love, over fear and sadness.”

Overcoming fear and sadness is no small feat. There is currently no cure for ALS.

For Jackie, healing means slowing the advancement of the disease.

And Jackie has found success in slowing its progression. In conjunction with her work with a Denver-based neurologist, holistic practitioners, and specialized therapists, she found an ALS wellness center in Las Vegas where many people from all over the country travel for alternative treatments for ALS. Several synergistic, holistic therapies are designed specifically for each individual and given simultaneously over a period of 5 days. Jackie’s been twice.

In addition to the physical healing, the ALS wellness center as been a source of emotional support. Jackie’s grateful for the connection with a community of others who are experiencing comparable issues, especially one close friend from San Diego who is also in her early 60s and has lived with similar symptoms and diagnosis to Jackie’s for 8 years. She is beautiful, positive, extremely intelligent and a light in Jackie’s life; a role model for living life despite a disease with a grim prognosis (average life expectancy of 1 to 3 years after diagnosis).

By slowing the progression of the disease, Jackie hopes to delay the onset of respiratory symptoms and continue enjoying an active lifestyle with Shane and Ellie, with whom she’s planned a few more adventures!

Being able to access more treatments and supportive care at the wellness center in Las Vegas not only will help extend the quality of Jackie’s life, but also will allow her to continue to shine a light for the rest of us on the essence of being human and caring for one another.

The downside of the treatments are - surprise! - their cost. Jackie hopes to have 5 more treatments during 2026, starting in January. If one meaning of healing is “to alleviate a person’s distress,” we have an opportunity to aid Jackie’s healing through financial support. Contributions of any amount are, of course, welcomed and appreciated and can add up. We hope to increase the likelihood of reaching Jackie’s fundraising goals by having 100 people donate $200 each.

Thank you for considering making a donation to support Jackie.

Signing off Jackie-style, “Peace and Love,”

Gisele