I am Terri Eschbacher

My dad, Vince Eschbacher, was diagnosed with ALS on February 7th, 2019. From that point on, the disease moved very quickly. My dad just passed away on February 24th, 2020. He lived for one year and 17 days with this disease. In that year’s time, he went from walking and talking to being completely bedridden, with a feeding tube and a machine to help him breathe. My mom was his primary caregiver, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. My dad was healthy up until his diagnosis. He never had any health issues. He was a Vietnam veteran. I know veterans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS than the general population. I’m so angry this disease took my dad. He was only 71 years old. And I wasn’t done having fun with him. My parents are my best friends, and now I’m missing someone that meant the world to me. We need to find a cure! I’m mad and sad that it is taking this long.