For those afflicted with ALS, it\u2019s usually a death sentence. For La Jollan Todd Witt who has it, it\u2019s a reaffirmation of life.<\/p>\n
At first, dealing with his ALS diagnosis was tough. But Witt found a way to reconcile it for himself, his wife, and his family. \u201cIt sucked,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I began to figure out how to enjoy what (time) we\u2019ve got left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two years later, Todd said for he and his wife Betsy: \u201cIt\u2019s been a great two years of living one day at a time together. I \u2018am\u2019 the luckiest guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Witt first found out he had a medical issue in April 2021 taking his daughter on a college tour. \u201cOn the plane, I couldn\u2019t get our bags into the overhead compartment,\u201d he said. \u201cThen my daughter, who\u2019s 100 pounds, gets up and throws them up there no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTodd was in the car business and he began to have trouble lifting the hoods,\u201d noted Betsy. \u201cTo be honest, we thought it was a pinched nerve or something. But when they kept bringing him back for more and more tests \u2013 we knew something was up.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the 83 years since Lou Gehrig revealed he had ALS, numerous other famous people \u2013 scientist Stephen Hawking, musician Charles Mingus, NFL star Dwight Clark, actor David Niven, boxer Ezzard Charles, and singer Roberta Flack \u2013 have contracted it.<\/p>\n
Steve Bevcar, executive director for the San Diego Chapter of the ALS Association, said the disease\u2019s cause remains a mystery. But the association has found how best to support victims and their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ALS Association provides durable medical equipment \u2013 walkers, canes, wheelchairs, speech development utensils \u2013 at no cost to patients and their families,\u201d Bevcar said. \u201cOur mission is to do research and advocacy, and also to provide care services of excellence, like at UC San Diego ALS Center.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bevcar noted the pace of developing drugs and tools to aid ALS sufferers has been painfully slow. \u201cThe first FDA-approved drug for ALS was not until 1995, 56 years after Lou Gehrig in 1939,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Bevcar pointed out the treatment situation has been improving. \u201cIn 2022 and 2023, two more drugs to treat ALS have been approved by the FDA,\u201d he said adding, \u201cIt\u2019s not a cure. But that\u2019s a positive step. And people in the sports and entertainment industries are supporting the ALS Association, and that is making a big impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Closer to home, Bevcar said ALS sufferers like Todd Witt are \u201cinspiring with a positive attitude and outlook. That goes a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Todd talked about one of the hardest things about dealing with ALS. \u201cIf I had cancer, there would be a treatment plan,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there is no treatment plan with ALS. They tell you, \u2018You\u2019ve got two to five years. Good luck.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve been trying to do is pay it forward so somebody else in our shoes doesn\u2019t have to struggle and worry about where they should be going,\u201d said Betsy. \u201cWe can tell them, turn here to this place, you\u2019re going to be in good hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really appreciative of the ALS Association supporting us and helping figure out a way to stop this disease,\u201d said Todd who asked, \u201cWhy not me? Why not now? That\u2019s why I\u2019m participating in a stem cell trial at the Mayo Clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concluded Todd: \u201cWe need to send out a new message: One step at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
View the Instagram page @witt_wolfpack to follow along with Todd\u2019s ALS journey.\u00a0Last year, the Witts raised more than $130,000 as a team for the San Diego ALS Association. The Greater San Diego 3-mile ALS fundraising walk is Sunday, Oct. 22 at 9 a.m. at De Anza Cove in Mission Bay.<\/p>\n
ALS<\/span><\/p>\n July 4, 1939: New York Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig, who was diagnosed with ALS, says farewell to baseball with the \u2018Luckiest Man\u2019 speech at Yankee Stadium.<\/p>\n Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s Disease, is a nervous system disorder affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS causes loss of muscle control and worsens over time. The exact cause of the disease is still not known. A small number of cases are inherited. ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing, or slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects the control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat, and breathe. There is presently no cure for this fatal disease.<\/p>\n The incidence of ALS is rare, two per 100,000 people and it is estimated that at least 16,000 Americans may be living with ALS at any given time. About 90 percent of ALS cases occur without a family history. The remaining 10 percent of ALS cases are inherited through a mutated gene.<\/p>\n ALS Association\u2019s vision and mission:\u00a0Create a world without ALS. To discover treatments and a cure for ALS, and to serve, advocate for and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest. May is ALS Awareness Month.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For those afflicted with ALS, it\u2019s usually a death sentence. For La Jollan Todd Witt who has it, it\u2019s a reaffirmation of life. At first, dealing with his ALS diagnosis was tough. But Witt found a way to reconcile it for himself, his wife, and his family. \u201cIt sucked,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I began to […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":840,"featured_media":325301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"For those afflicted with ALS, it\u2019s usually a death sentence. 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