Today marks a pretty important day – if you like baseball, and if, like me, you’re into a ministry with disabled people. What’s the connection? Well, Lou Gehrig was born today back in 1903 – he played in seven World Series and there’s not a serious baseball fan alive today who doesn’t know all the statistics on Lou Gehrig. However, it’s a little unfortunate that he is mostly known today for something besides his batting average. Because Lou Gehrig’s name has become synonymous with the degenerative muscle disease from which he passed away – Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or as we often say, ALS. It’s a progressive and fatal disorder that attacks the body’s nerves and muscles.
At our ministry we hear from a lot of families who are struggling with ALS. I'm thinking of one woman who had this disease named Carole Danzig. Carole was a Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, the wife of a doctor and the mother of four gifted children. She became a quadriplegic and, even after that, had to endure the slow deterioration of her ability to swallow and even breathe. Carole typed the following words on a computer by clicking a sensor with her teeth.
She wrote: “When I want something, no one understands. When I know how to do something better, it doesn’t make any difference. When I decide on something, often I'm overruled. That’s when I cry. But then I remember the words of the Lord Jesus to Peter – that when he was old, someone would lead him where he did not want to go. It comforts me to know that the Lord understands that I am being led in a place where I do not want to go.” Well, those words speak to me… and perhaps Carole’s words minister to you today if you are elderly and not as “in charge” of your surroundings as you used to be. It’s hard to be led to a place where you do not want to go.
Carole Danzig passed away some time ago, in peace, and surrounded by her family and loved ones. She was supported by her church who cared for her and by a community who really got involved. I wish it were that way for all families who have a loved one with this disease, but many families are at wit’s end, looking for support, understanding, information and help.
If you know someone with Lou Gehrig’s disease – that is, ALS, please contact our ministry and we’ll be happy to give you information and resources you can pass on. The ALS Association has local chapters and a couple of great pamphlets which cover everything from updates on research, breathing exercises, health insurance plans, and even communication devices. So, write us today and we’ll be happy to help.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends