I am Kimberly Bazia
a family member of someone we've lost to ALS
Texas
To see such a strong independent man slowly lose his independence and quality of life, was beyond imaginable. Such a cruel disease.
When my father received his ALS diagnosis, I honestly had no idea what that truly meant.
I knew I had seen the Ice Bucket challenges all over social media, but I had no other knowledge. As I began my research I discovered more about ALS. This was not an easy task and often found myself in denial. Honestly, it was not until ALS began progressing so quickly that I truly began to comprehend what ALS was.
My father’s diagnosis moved quickly. Each day he seemed to face something new. Each day was a new loss for him. ALS deteriorated my father’s body, while his mind remained intact. To see such a strong independent man slowly lose his independence and quality of life, was beyond imaginable. Such a cruel disease.
It was extremely difficult to locate and acquire caretakers that his insurance would cover. Our only option was to have a family member become his caretaker. This meant that I had to leave my family and my career to become his caretaker (it was the least I could do for a man who raised me alone). Without the assistance from the ALS Foundation, we would have all been lost. I cannot express my gratitude enough!
My dad often would state that he acquired ALS for a reason…..I believe that reason was to ignite a fire in his family members to become actively involved.
