Last Wednesday, I was in Safeway, buying snacks for my three-year-old niece.  I reached for the applesauce and felt my body freeze.  The unbidden memory of a man in the clutches of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) materialized in my mind.  He was grasping an Easy Grip Spoon, clumsily feeding himself applesauce, topped with his medications.  As one of his primary caregivers, I would prepare his daily medicines, using applesauce as a lubricant to aide his weakening throat muscles. I continued with this technique, until the progression of the disease forced me to grind up the pills and administer them through his gastric feeding tube.  As the memory from the final months of caring for my father, John Buchanan, grew clearer, my view of the applesauce blurred, I turned away, settling, instead, upon Goldfish Crackers.

As you know, my dad was diagnosed with ALS, in November of 2021.  ALS is a devastating disease.  It causes every voluntary muscle in the body to atrophy, while, cruelly, sparing the brain, leaving all cognitive abilities completely intact.  The disease turns your body into your tomb and, when death does come, it is a mercy.  Despite this reality, my father remained stalwart and true to his character.  Eventually, he passed away, on January 24, 2023.

This year, the Scottsdale Walk to Defeat ALS takes place on Saturday, November 7th, at Salt River Fields.  I have, once again, revived team Night Walking Beat,originally created in 2022 to honor John Buchanan’s battle.  In rekindling my dad’s team, I hope to raise awareness and funds, to help make a stand against ALS.  Contributions allow the ALS Association to continue their groundbreaking research, spread the word about ALS, and provide support for those suffering from ALS and for their caregivers.  Thus, I ask for a donation of $150.  This is a bold request, one that is driven by my daring resolve to find a cure forALS and also by my father’s words, “And bold you will have to be; not arrogant or rude, not self-centered and certainly not self-indulgent--but bold.”  Perhaps, a monetary donation is not feasible. In that case, participating in the ALS Walk, talking about ALS, or simply forwarding this email to family and friends are other bold forms of support. 

Thank you for your support. I look forward to honoring my dad with you, on November 7th, in the Scottsdale Walk to Defeat ALS!