I am Mistie Reed
living with ALS
New Mexico
I was doing a job I loved and working toward my degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Life was perfect.
The first time I fell, I was at work and leading a store meeting. I was the assistant store manager at a large retail grocery/pharmacy store. My husband was working toward his seminary degree. I was doing a job I loved and working toward my degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Life was perfect.
Then I started falling more. The doctor thought I had MS and referred me to a neurologist. All the tests came back fine but the falls continued and I became paralyzed and wheelchair bound. I was referred to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. After a week of intense testing, my husband and I were told “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but I’m afraid we are pretty certain that you have late stage Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”
Because I have medical experience, I asked him how long I have and he said less than 3 years is his best estimate at this stage because tests show that already every muscle they tested was already affected, but that is being optimistic. So we went back to the hotel room and started making plans to sell our house and move closer to family. Then I started calling friends and family with the news that would change our lives.
