Mike Cutter TOUGH MOTHA CUTTER

This site is designed to keep our friends and family informed.  We appreciate your prayers, support and words of hope & encouragement. Thank you for visiting!

Mike is Amy Cutter's husband and the father of two beautiful boys - Stanton (born July 2005) and Archer (born August 2009). Mike was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia and went to Norfolk Collegiate School where he played multiple sports and then on to Hampden-Sydney College where he played varsity soccer. He works for the City of Norfolk in the Department of Economic Development where he is a Senior Business Development Manger helping people and businesses succeed/grow within his hometown.  

After some minor symptoms in his right hand in late 2014, followed by numerous tests in early-mid 2015, Mike was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).   

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.   Messages from the upper and lower neurons degenerate or die and stop sending messages to the muscles, which then begin to atrophy. Gradually individuals lose their strength and later their ability to speak, eat, move and breathe. ALS usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70.  Approximately 20,000 Americans have this disease; that's one person in every 16,000 people. Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player, brought national and international attention to the disease when he was diagnosed in 1939.   The cause is unknown.  There are only two FDA approved drugs (inhibitors to slow progression) and currently no cure.  Estimated life expectancy once diagnosed is typically 2-5 years; fortunately Mike has a more rare version that is a bit slower moving.

Pray often, live well and have fun!