Grateful!

I have a lot to be thankful for!  I have felt really good since my appointment at the Hershey ALS Clinic on Wednesday morning.  I cut down my caffeinated coffee to one each morning, but no headache.  I feel less stressed, stronger, and am definitely less worried.  I have had fewer gagging/choking events the past few days, and I am very grateful to have some relief!  I don't know if the Riluzole can act that quickly, if I am experiencing a placebo effect, all of your prayers are being answered, or if my body has finally relaxed a little bit, but regardless of the source/sources, I am very relieved to not be suffering the same effects! 

Thank you for your continued prayers!

We have already exceeded our team goal for the ALS Walk for the Cure on June 7 at the Hershey Med Center!  Three people have signed up to walk with Kim and me.  A sincere thanks to everyone that has donated or signed up to walk with us!  The Team JFK page is open and accepting new walkers and donations.  Kim and I will match the total donations up to $1000 total to thank you for your generosity.

Reading about the Brainstorm Clinical Trial in Boston, where they will be testing the safety and efficacy of a stem cell therapy that has had excellent results outside of the U.S. for a product called NurOwn, based on harvesting the individual's mesenchymal stem cells, treating them, and then reintroducing them into the individual's body again.  There is another stem cell research project in Atlanta, called Neuralstem.  Since ALS is a brain/spinal column/motor neuron disease, it makes sense to me that stem cells may hold promise for a future therapy or a cure.

Enjoying the long weekend so far!  I got up at 2:45AM to try to see the meteor shower, but it was completely overcast.  Oh, well!  Hope that some of you were able to see it.  They were predicting between 500-1000 meteors/hour, which would be phenomenal.

Doing a little bit of work, interspersed with reading my book, sitting and holding Kim's hand, talking to Jean.  I brought Jean some of my purple Columbine, which has been spreading at our house over the past 10 years.  She planted them this morning - I hope that they survive.  They are a beautiful color!

I learned that my Uncle Frank in Grand Junction, CO fell this week and may have had a minor stroke.  He is at the VA hospital for now and my Aunt Geneva is living alone in their apartment.  Our prayers for both of them and I hope that Frank recovers quickly, regains his strength, and gets home soon.

For our traditional Memorial Day weekend cookout tonight we are having hamburgers, hot dogs and Kim's famous hot dog sauce, Pasta salad, baked beans, and deviled eggs.  YUM!  I'll cook them on the grill shortly.  Have a nice bottle of red wine I am going to open in a minute to let it breathe before Kelly and his dog Liam come over.

I hope that all of you have an awesome weekend, spend quality time with your family and friends, and make some good memories.