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Rest In Peace Keith

TastesLikeChicken

TastesLikeChicken

Lifer
This is an ode and memorial to my brother-in-law, Keith James, who passed away this morning. 6 years ago Keith was diagnosed with ALS. It is a horrible disease. He went from an energetic person who loved life and being on the go to the confines of a wheelchair, slurred speech, and virtually no movement in little over 2 years. Within 2 more years he was incapable of moving or speaking at all. The worst part is that he retained all of his mental faculties, but they were trapped in a completely useless body.

For those who care to know more here's an article on him from 2012:

http://www.orlandomagazine.com/Orlando-Magazine/March-2012/Living-with-ALS/

You will be missed Keith. I hope you are in a better place now, maybe playing 18 holes and drinking a few beers.
 
Wow, I was just talking with some friends at lunch about this disease, and how much it sucked. Maybe one day...

Anyway, sorry to hear about your friend, it's a terrible thing. RIP.
 
Sorry for your loss, TLC, and sincere condolences to you and the family. So terribly sad for his wife and kids. It is possibly the cruelest disease there is.

I read the article, manly tears were shed.
 
I'm sorry for your loss. I kind of know what the situation is like (at least on a longer time-scale): I'm just waiting on my dad, who's been ever so slowly fading as his muscles grow weaker from an unnamed progressive, peripheral muscular atrophy disease.
 
Thank you for sharing.

Fairly disturbing how some ailments creep up on you later, in the middle of your life. Even fatal ones.
 
Thanks to everyone for the kind words.

rasczak said:
Poor guy. His wife has the saddest looking eyes I've every seen.
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Amy is one of the toughest people I know, man or woman. Never once have I seen or heard her lament the situation. She faced it head on and made the best of things instead. Amy and the twins stayed with us a few months ago for a couple of days, one of the few breaks she has had from Keith in years. We had some discussions about the situation and it was clear she came to terms with it some time ago. Knowing her, her biggest concern at the moment is for her twin daughters and how best to comfort them.

Jaskalas said:
Thank you for sharing.

Fairly disturbing how some ailments creep up on you later, in the middle of your life. Even fatal ones.
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What sucks the most is when it happens to the best people. Keith was a genuinely nice guy. The world is a lesser place without him.
 
TastesLikeChicken said:
What sucks the most is when it happens to the best people. Keith was a genuinely nice guy. The world is a lesser place without him.
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I have noticed this with cancer as well. I have known very closely two people who have died of that, and they were absolutely outstanding people. One of them was my grandpa who taught me countless things and instilled such an appreciation of education I will never forget.

So easy to joke about Darwin awards and what not on these forums, but sometimes it kind of works backwards, almost as a double dose reminder of the world is not fair. How you deal with this inequality is the definition of temperament, IMO.

Not to get too esoteric in a memorial thread, it was really a good article and certainly made me question my Florida prejudice.
 
It's weird how death comes as a release and relief for everybody, when such slowly but progressively wasting diseases take someone from your family.

I hope that the daughters come out of it alright.
 
Such a tough loss. Sorry to hear about it.

With ALS are there any signs before you are diagnosed? It scares the hell out of me that I could be living completely normal then 5 years from now I am diagnosed with a horrible ailment like ALS.
 
cheezy321 said:
Such a tough loss. Sorry to hear about it.

With ALS are there any signs before you are diagnosed? It scares the hell out of me that I could be living completely normal then 5 years from now I am diagnosed with a horrible ailment like ALS.
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My sister-in-law's father was diagnosed a couple of years ago.

Slurred speech and occasional dizzyness were his only symptoms (We thought he might have had a drinking problem)...then he wrecked his car (not bad, just low speed into a telephone poll) and the tests began.

2 years on now and he's much like Keith is in that article. Unable to move, unable to swallow...even his own saliva.

Horrible disease. I wouldn't wish it on anybody.
 
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