A NEW BEGINNING

The last couple of months have been incredibly challenging, life changing, heartbreaking, humbling and a wide range of other emotions for me. One thing I've learned through it all is that you really are stronger than you know.

On December 9th, 2015 my mom was diagnosed with ALS, also know as Lou Gehrig's disease. I'm sure many of you have heard of it because of the ALS ice bucket challenge a few summers ago. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness, paralysis and ultimately respiratory failure. There is no cure for ALS and the prognosis is generally 2-5 years. My mom has a rare form of ALS called bulbar onset. It started with slurred speech and swallowing difficulties. Most of her weakness is in her mouth and tongue, but she still has the ability to walk and move around right now. However, the course of this disease is unpredictable so we just have to take is one day at a time and appreciate every moment we get.

While there are many things that we will have to adjust and adapt to, this diagnosis does not mean the end of a life; it is just the beginning of a new one. I've not completely come to terms with it yet and I know there will be a lot of dark times coming our way, but there will also be many happy ones. I've created this space to document the life lessons I will learn along the way. I know there are other people out there experiencing a similar situation and I hope documenting our journey can be of help in some way - whether it be tips on caregiving or brining awareness.