Support Shane Smith's Fight Against ALS

Hello all, I am Christina Bugay, Amy’s Smith’s sister and Shane Smith’s (favorite) sister-in-law. In July of 2021 Shane had been noticing a strange feeling in his calves. It only seemed to get worse over time, so they went to get tests done. We all waited with our breaths held, praying and praying it was nothing serious. In January of 2023 we received the horrible news that Shane had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It leads to the gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons, causing muscle weakness and wasting over time. Eventually ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. There is no cure for this fatal disease, and life expectancy is 2-5 years after diagnosis.

As you can imagine, it was so shocking and terrifying to hear that news and not know what was to come. I remember I received the call while I was at work and tried so hard to stay strong on the phone, but when we hung up, I ran outside and immediately threw up and had to leave work. I was in disbelief. All I could think about was Shane, my sister Amy, and my niece and nephews. Shane is an incredible father to my niece, Madison (8), and my nephews, Parker (11) and Kaden (16). He is a hero to them. These kids love their dad so much and immediately jumped into a role of helping with anything he needed. Kaden and Parker carry their dad in and out of bed every single day/night. The whole family helps Shane get dressed for work every morning, without complaint. My parents have taken on helping with the kids, meals, and house/yard work. My sister, Amy, has taken on a lot of extra work, but still shows up every day for the love of her life. Their love has only grown stronger and is truly an inspiration.

Shane continues to fight and keep a positive attitude every single day. He stills goes to work, never misses one of his kids’ sporting events, and is even coaching his son Parker’s football team, Go Ducks! If you ever have the chance to just sit and speak with Shane, take it. Shane brings so much light and joy into this world and is an amazing story teller. This guy has such an incredible faith, that it is infectious. How he continues to keep such a positive attitude and outlook on life and be there for his family day in and day out, inspires us all.

With all of this being said, Amy and Shane have had to do a complete renovation on their home, in order to make it handicap accessible. This has been a very long and expensive process to get everything done in a timely manner, as the disease slows down for nothing. There are still many things that need to get done around the house and many large purchases that need to be made for Shane’s quality of life. Not to mention the inevitable doctor bills that come along with the diagnosis of ALS. Seeing my family go through this has been one of the hardest things I have ever dealt with. Watching someone you love deteriorate right before your eyes is something I would not wish on anyone. Most of the time I feel very helpless, as I live hours away. But I know there is one thing I can do to hopefully take a small portion of my family’s stress away. I am writing this to ask if you could please consider donating to my sister’s family in their time of need. They truly are some of the most amazing people to grace this earth. Anything will help, even your words of love and encouragement are welcomed. Thank you all for taking the time to read about Shane and his family’s journey. Please share this post so his story can reach as many people as possible, and maybe help someone else who has been diagnosed with ALS.