On October 21, 2013, My Brother Matt was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or also known as Lou Gehrigs disease) at the age of 34 years old. I will never forget this day. But most importantly what I want everyone else to do is what my mom has always taught me to do and "put myself in others shoes" Imagine Matt...leaving that hospital that day in Lexington, KY and riding back with his wife, mom, dad, and father and law. I am sure that hour or so car ride felt like the longest car ride of his life. How do you even process such information. He was just given a death sentence basically. Here is he is...happily married to his beautiful wife Christi and together they had Luke--a perfect mix of the both of them..the cutest little guy and Matt's dream..To have a little boy of his own to teach baseball to and Father. My mom told me that when the Doctors told Matt his diagnosis that day..of course there were MANY tears shed but that Matt said " I have been competitive my whole life and I am going to fight this disease." And he did. Matt fought ALS but not for long. From the time Matt was diagnosed until the time he passed seemed like a long time..of suffering.. but looking back now it all seemed like it happened entirely too fast! We lost our "Golden Boy" as my Grandma and Dad used to call him. :)
We watched him slowly and painfully lose his mobility to walk, pick up a fork and feed himself or hold his own plate and fill it up on Thanksgivings..to holding his own child, to losing his ability to drive and work. Can you imagine giving up all of these privliages that each one of us take for granted every single day? It was so depressing to see my stong, muscular athletic brother deteriorate so quickly and need help going to the bathroom, shaving, brushing his teeth. I have never in my life ever witnessed a disease more depressing than ALS.
Matt died May 20, 2016.
May is ALS Awareness Month.
This past Thursday, On, May 17th, our friend Carrey Dewey who also lived here in town passed away from ALS.
I find it ironic that ALS brought Carrey and Matt and our families together and then we lost them both the month of May during the month that we are supposed to bring attention and awareness to this horrific disease. Both Matt and Carrey touched so many peoples lives in such a positive way. They both have left a huge footprint on this earth and our now our guardian angels in eternity.
In conclusion, to this really shitty job of a post. I just can't think today....but I wanted so badly to do a tribute. (sorry for the unprofessionalism) I had a conversation with a friend last weekend about how you truly do not understand what ANYONE is going through until you have witnessed it. And not sure if that is a good thing or a bad. But...just try your best to always put yourself in other peoples shoes and....don't take your loved ones for granted.
“Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve lost, what you have and what you took for granted.”
