<div>Hello, my name is Sheldon Hooker, and I was diagnosed with ALS in January of 2024. ALS is a neurological degenerative disease that involves the motor neurons in the brain and spine, causing those motor neurons to die off. As the motor neurons degenerate, a person with ALS loses the ability to use muscles and gets weaker and weaker over time.<strong> This condition has no cure and very little research about how to even approach treatment for this condition. </strong>The general life expectancy of an ALS patient is three to five years from the onset of noticeable symptoms.
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<div>Dealing with and caring for a person with ALS is an ongoing challenge. Many of the tasks that I used to perform around the house like taking out the trash or mowing the grass and just being a normally functioning adult are now Impossible. My wife and daughters are learning new caregiving skills and are officially designated as caregivers by the veterans administration. We've had an exceptional experience through the Seattle and Tacoma VA hospitals, they have numerous programs and resources that we have been able to utilize. <strong>However, there are still many outstanding costs that we are incurring in support of making my ALS journey as good as it can be.</strong>
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<div><strong>I am currently in my third year of having ALS</strong>, and many tasks that I used to be able to perform, I cannot do now. These include simple tasks like picking up an object, walking without assistance, and performing daily necessary activities. As my condition worsens, I am unable to walk upstairs, which is where the only shower in our house is located. <strong>This GoFundMe page is being launched to offset the cost of building an addition to our house, which will provide me a master suite with a full wheelchair accessible shower on the ground floor of my home.</strong>
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<div>In addition to not being able to walk and climb stairs, I am nearing the point where I will require and be constrained to an electric wheelchair. We currently have that resource on order and it will be supplied by the veterans administration. In this transition, we will need to purchase a wheelchair-accessible vehicle that will allow me to be transported to and from medical appointments and anywhere else that our family goes. These new and expensive requirements related to my health come at a time when I am trying to decrease the overall debt for our family as I am planning for end-of-life expenses for my surviving family.<strong> Please consider donating to this GoFundMe account to enable our family to add on to our house as well as purchase a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.</strong>
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