Imagine.........

Imagine that you are dreaming and.....

No matter how tightly you grip something it still slips out of your hand.

When you try and talk nothing but a grunt comes out.

You smell food and want beyond want to taste it but know that you cannot because your tongue does not function and you wind up choking on your food.

You want to stand but your legs try to give out on you.

You hit a nerve in your finger and it sends shooting pain through your hand.

You want to lift something but you don't have the strength to do it.

You want to go on a day trip or other special occasion and an hour into it you are exhausted.

Want to hold your loved one close, but your arms don't work right.
You try to use a spray can and you can't get the button pushed.

You have a cramp in your toes that will not release and you cannot reach them to get them to release.

Your toes for no reason feel like a dull ax blade is being pushed down on them and there is no relief.

You are in pain and try to take a pain pill but you can't get it swallowed because your throat doesn't function like it should.

Your arms and legs constantly feel like they are asleep with no reason for them to be so.

Because you cannot talk, people think you are mentally deficient.  Lay people as well as professionals.

Now imagine waking up and realizing that it is not a dream but reality.  That is what I, and thousands of others with ALS, wake up to every day.  Our bodies slowly betraying us.  Our minds telling us that we can still do things that a year ago, a month ago, a week ago we could do with no problems but this week, this day, this hour, we cannot.

It is frustrating, depressing, and demoralizing to face these new facts of life and living each and every day, but we do it each and every day that we have.  For each of those days are more precious than anything you can name, and they become more valuable for each one that passes.  For we, the ones with ALS, know how close we are to dying.

And we have gotten good at hiding that from loved ones.



Until next time........................