REILLY O’BRIEN (LEFT), A LOCAL BOY AND CAREGIVER, HELPS BEARD AROUND THE HOUSE AND IN HIS “BACK ALLEY CUSTOMS” GARAGE,
WORKING ON O’BRIEN’S FORD
RANCHERO.
BEARD’S DAUGHTER, LINDSEY
(BELOW), GOT HIM INTO LACROSSE. THEY POSE IN FRONT OF HIS CUSTOM WILLYS RAT ROD.
ABOUT ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. When these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them. Patients in the later stages of the disease can become paralyzed. Every day, an average of 15 people (more than 5,600 per year) are diagnosed with ALS. As many as 30,000 Americans may currently be affected by ALS. Average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from diagnosis. But with recent advances in research and improved medical care, many patients are living longer, more productive lives. Half of all those affected live at least three years or more after diagnosis. About 20 percent live five years or more and up to 10 percent will survive more than 10 years.
the first “Miles for Mickey” 5K and kid’s fun run. Beard camped out near the finish line. People ran by him and told him about his impact on their lives. It was also one Shelby Durden’s birthday, so her mother brought out a cake. “Mick!” Durden called out, wanting a picture with Beard. People started singing “Happy Birthday” as Durden, Mickey and Lindsey Beard posed. Beard looked at his daughter, and the two lifted the cake and popped it in Durden’s face just in time to catch it on camera. Laughing, Durden licked the icing off her nose. “It was priceless,” Thibadeau says.
***
This is a message and a calling. So, get up and gather around, everyone. I’m withering. Dying. Trembling from trying.
laxmagazine.com
Barely crawling. What can be done? What will be done?
Nobody told me. Nobody told me. Nobody told me;
How heavy this life was gonna be.
At first, ALS didn’t change Beard’s daily life much at all. His doctor told him just to conserve his energy. But now, five years since Beard’s diagnosis and nine years since the symptoms started, the disease has taken away most of his ability and confidence to walk. He needs help getting in and out of the bathroom, especially after that nasty spill in July. “I basically can’t do anything unless somebody’s here with me helping me,” he says.
october 2014 » LACROSSE MAGAZINE 51
©MICHAEL SCHWARZ (ALL)
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