I am Sally Shipley

I am a wife, mother, sister, aunt, daughter-in-law, friend and teacher. I am a human being. I was a special education teacher for students with moderate-to-severe disabilities. ALS forced me to leave my beloved students and retire on 2/1/2020. I’m fighting the fight because I have a husband of 30 years and a 17-year-old son I want to live for. I’m fighting the fight to advocate for myself. I’m fighting the fight to help advocate for others presently diagnosed and those in the future. I’m fighting the fight to educate those who do not know how devastating ALS is. And I’m fighting the fight to bring ACCESS to treatments, which is LONG OVERDUE for those affected by this disease. It’s a twisted disease. One where you must battle like the angel and devil on your shoulder. I wake up every morning thankful to be alive but sad and frustrated when I realize more body parts have lost their function. Positive thinking is essential, but pushing away the negative thoughts takes energy — energy you may not have by the end of any given day. I believe in my heart that 2020 will be the year of change, finally. With patient-led advocacy, we will win this fight together. Thank you, I AM ALS!