It's been a while since I've updated our friends and family on Alan's condition. I wish I could tell you that he is improving, but that isn't the case for anyone with  ALS.  Sometimes I see posts on Facebook that promote a "cure" or posts about someone who has miraculously improved. I've come to find out that either the patient was misdiagnosed (due to the difficulty of diagnosing ALS, that's not surprising) or, the more common and nefarious posters are trying to scam desperate people. 

We have tried the FDA-approved drugs and some that are not approved (but with promising clinical trials), which offer evidence of a slower progression. In his case, none of them seemed to work or the side effects were impossible for him to tolerate. His disease continues to chip away at his muscles and, now, he is unable to move any muscles below his neck. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, his cognitive ability remains sharp. 

We spend a lot of time in the evenings talking about life, death, regrets, and joy.  Alan, I believe, has few regrets. At the age of 12, he decided he wanted to be a pilot. He pursued that goal and became a success at it. I don't even think he regrets serving in the Marine Corps, as it gave him the opportunity to fly helicopters and airplanes. His children have been a joy to him, and he says, if he has any regrets it is when he sees his little girl sad. This strikes me as funny because Hannah wasn't so much sad as spoiled - mostly by her dad. 

We also spend a lot of time talking about all the places we've traveled. His work, first with the military and then Delta, has allowed us to see so many places. During COVID, we took advantage of Delta's "involuntary displacement" to Salt Lake City and got to really explore Utah. In hindsight, I'm so glad we grabbed these opportunities that have made our lives rich and varied. 

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm going to post a lot of pictures of Alan and our life together.  More pictures are in the gallery (I could only add 5 to a post).