Everyday life can wear us down. Whether it's the pandemic, politics, health issues....we all are facing something, every single day. What's that quote?
Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle
You know Jack as one half of Waldorf and Statler On the River hosts on Tuesday Mornings. In this conversation*, longtime members Jack and Cindy Shelton talk about their family's challenge: a diagnosis of ALS.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
”Amyotrophic” comes from the Greek language. "A" means no. "Myo" refers to muscle. "Trophic" means nourishment. So, amyotrophic means "no muscle nourishment,” and when a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away.
When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. When voluntary muscle action is progressively affected, people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe.
You can hear our full conversation here.
And, stay tuned, helper dog Izzy is on the way, we'll check back in with the Shelton's on their new dog and how it is helping Jack and bringing some joy to the family.
*thanks to producer Robert Jevne for his assistance in this story.
