slickdawg
4/11/2006, 09:41 AM
My best friend, a guy named Lynn, has a neuromuscular disease called
Ataxia. It's extremely rare, and is a long, creul and painful disease that is
ultimately fatal. There is no treatment for Ataxia. It is genetic, and
usually starts showing symptoms in the mid 30's, and by the early
40's, the patient is in a nursing home. His mother died in her mid 40's
from it. His sister is in her early 40's, and is in the nursing home
because of the disease. Lynn, like me, is 37.
He asked me to drive him to Jackson (3 hours) to the specialist that he
sees. That's become too much for him to do just in the last year.
His balance and gait have been altered significantally and he's prone
to fall now. The doc told him to start using a cane or a walker now.
There is talk of very experimental drugs, that may help the symptoms,
but they have serious side effects (seizures, epilepsy, severe swelling
of the feet). In short, he's terminal and it will be a very long, cruel path
to his death.
This is the same guy that had his wife bankrupt and divorce him in the
last 18 months ater 17 years together, and also had 8 feet of
water in his house from Katrina.
I don't understand why one man must endure so much, this is just heartbreaking.
Ataxia. It's extremely rare, and is a long, creul and painful disease that is
ultimately fatal. There is no treatment for Ataxia. It is genetic, and
usually starts showing symptoms in the mid 30's, and by the early
40's, the patient is in a nursing home. His mother died in her mid 40's
from it. His sister is in her early 40's, and is in the nursing home
because of the disease. Lynn, like me, is 37.
He asked me to drive him to Jackson (3 hours) to the specialist that he
sees. That's become too much for him to do just in the last year.
His balance and gait have been altered significantally and he's prone
to fall now. The doc told him to start using a cane or a walker now.
There is talk of very experimental drugs, that may help the symptoms,
but they have serious side effects (seizures, epilepsy, severe swelling
of the feet). In short, he's terminal and it will be a very long, cruel path
to his death.
This is the same guy that had his wife bankrupt and divorce him in the
last 18 months ater 17 years together, and also had 8 feet of
water in his house from Katrina.
I don't understand why one man must endure so much, this is just heartbreaking.